[Documents/Docheader.htm]Education for Europe
Doc. 10203
7 June 2004Report
Committee on Culture, Science and Education
Rapporteur: Mr Ghiorghi Prisacaru, Romania, Socialist Group
Summary
The Council of Europe has been working for more than 50 years to bring the countries of Europe together around fundamental values and in particular, respect for human rights, political pluralism and the rule of law. Education, which is essential for forming full citizens in democratic societies, has a central place in its work.
The Parliamentary Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers give support to education for Europe as a priority goal of European co-operation and draft a European framework Convention on education for democratic citizenship and human rights.
I. Draft Recommendation [Link to the adopted text]
1. The Council of Europe has been working for more than 50 years to bring the countries of Europe together around fundamental values, principles and rights. Education, which is essential for forming full citizens in democratic societies, has a central place in its work.
2. With recent changes, Europe is no longer divided between East and West. Nor is it limited to the countries of the European Union. This notion of a Europe without dividing lines in which each country has its place, regardless of the institutions or organisations to which it may or may not belong, needs to be defended. The Council of Europe needs to reaffirm its dynamic pan-European mission and its identity in the global context.
3. Young people are European citizens. It is therefore essential to explain Europe to them so that they feel concerned and are able to play a part. As part of their education, they should be given not only information about European institutions but also the means of understanding all Europe may stand for and taking an interest in it. To this end, they need to know how Europe came about and was built and about the work it has done if they are to understand the changes it has brought about at their own level.
4. The generic values of the Council of Europe, and in particular respect for human rights, political pluralism and the rule of law, have to be transmitted to the younger generation.
5. The wealth of Europe resides in its great cultural, religious and other diversity. Europeans therefore need to be brought to value all its benefits, learn to understand one another and realise that, aside from all the differences, they have many things in common. The emergence of a European awareness needs to be fostered among young people.
6. The Parliamentary Assembly therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers call on governments and the appropriate authorities of member states to promote education for Europe by:
i. adapting the school curricula in order to add a European dimension to subjects already taught in primary and secondary schools and in higher education establishments;
ii. introducing the European dimension and European values in teacher training, including training the trainers and teacher exchange programmes;
iii. informing the Council of Europe of the action taken in this field at national level so that a guide to good practices on the subject can be produced and disseminated;
iv. involving the various institutions of civil society, not only schools but also such bodies as associations and municipalities, so that every opportunity can be taken to discuss Europe in all its diversity;
v. fostering use of the countless fresh possibilities afforded by the new information and communication technologies, such as establishing correspondence between schools or, more directly, between pupils in different European countries, undertaking research on other European countries and following current affairs in Europe.
7. It recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
i. recognise education as a major leverage in the European process and give support to education for Europe as a priority goal of European co-operation;
ii. invite Heads of State and Government at the forthcoming Third Summit in 2005 to establish the development of policies to promote Europe through education as a major element in the future work programme of the Council of Europe further to the designation of 2005 as “European Year of Citizenship through Education”.
8. It further recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
i. draft a European framework Convention on education for democratic citizenship and human rights;
ii. institute programmes for the training of teachers in education for Europe.
II. Explanatory memorandum
by Mr Prisacaru
Introduction
1. Various institutions and organisations have now been working for more than 50 years to build peace in Europe. This is enabling the countries of Europe to work together to ensure peace, security and respect for fundamental rights in democratic European societies.
2. The Council of Europe is working for closer unity among its member states on the basis of these fundamental values. It has always emphasised the decisive role of education in forming citizens able and willing to participate actively in public and political life. Education is important as a means of transmitting values.
3. Civic education has already been introduced into the education systems of all Council of Europe member states, and developing its teaching is among the priorities of education for democratic citizenship, one of the Council of Europe’s current education projects. With respect to education for Europe, however, there is a need, not only to work on education for democratic citizenship, but also on everything Europe as a whole stands for.
4. 2004 will see the 50th anniversary of the European Cultural Convention and would therefore be an appropriate time for the Council of Europe to ask itself new questions, revive debates on education and decide on future activities in this field. It would also be an opportunity for the organisation to stress its pan-European mission and clearly set out the role it intends to play in Greater Europe.
5. In view of how difficult Europeans find it fully to understand the components of Greater Europe and the ceaseless work that is ongoing in Europe, and given the lack of mutual knowledge and understanding among the countries of which it consists, it is important to use education, which is crucial for European construction, to explain to the rising generations what Europe now is and what it is supposed to become.
6. To pursue this question in the present report is not to overlook many other educational problems in Europe. The need to reverse the brain drain for example is a challenge for Europe as a whole. So is quality assurance and improving education provision in countries recently emerging from the totalitarian system. But these are subjects that do not relate to the specific issue of Europe.
Why education for Europe?
7. Education for Europe has a number of objectives. The first is to give young people from all the member states of the Council of Europe the means of understanding more clearly what Europe is. Europe is a complex notion of shared values and cultural diversity. It is also a complex set of institutions and organisations that bring together various European countries and work in various fields on the basis of treaties, conventions, agreements, etc. It is therefore difficult to distinguish clearly between their roles and see the work they carry out.
8. However, education for Europe is above all about transmitting the values defended by the Council of Europe in order ultimately to foster the emergence of European awareness.
Education for democratic citizenship
9. Active citizenship is of central importance in a democratic society. This means in particular that we should take part in the political and public life of the society in which we live. Effective participation is crucial to the smooth running of any democracy and is all the more important today when young people seem less and less interested in participating at all. It is therefore important to make them aware of the role they have to play by explaining that as citizens they have rights, both at national and European level, but also duties and responsibilities.
10. During the second Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government in 1997, new priorities were set, one of which was to “develop education for democratic citizenship based on the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and the participation of young people in civil society”. Since then one of the major projects undertaken by the Council of Europe in the education field has been education for democratic citizenship. As 2005 will be European Year of Citizenship through Education, “education for Europe” could also be part of this initiative.
Establishing European solidarity
11. Education for Europe should foster solidarity among Europeans. All European citizens are united by political, social and philosophical links. They have something in common: they defend the same values and the same rights, even when they are not from the same country and do not share the same culture or religion. Europe is therefore more than a geographic grouping: it links all the countries of which it is composed, and in order for them to wish to continue its work together, these countries need to understand and assist one another.
12. Solidarity is an essential value within each community and is what ensures the coherence of the community. The emergence of European solidarity should therefore be fostered.
Fostering inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue
13. Education for Europe also seeks to encourage greater knowledge and understanding between the various countries of Europe in order to avoid prejudice, intolerance, racism, etc. This can be brought about through dialogue between the various cultures and religions in Europe.
14. The Council of Europe is now working on inter-cultural education, the main objective of which is to teach pupils to live together, respecting differences. This is an important point since it is by fostering dialogue that young people will become aware of the great diversity on which Europe is based, both among countries and within individual countries. They must be able to understand all the benefits this brings.
15. It is in all this cultural diversity that the wealth of Europe resides and, here again, the 50th anniversary of the European Cultural Convention provides a good opportunity to present a new approach. For example, the importance of knowing one’s own culture in order to discover and better understand other cultures present in Europe should be stressed.
16. Education for Europe should not be limited to Europe in its approach, but should also concern non-European countries. Europe is opening up to the rest of the world, and the initiative taken by the Council of Europe to initiate Euro-Arab dialogue is a good illustration of this.
Promoting a Europe without dividing lines
17. Europe is more than simply a legal or economic entity since, although it has set up various institutions and organisations that bring European countries together around economic and political interests, it has above all succeeded in bringing all the countries of the continent together around fundamental principles and rights. There are many dividing lines in Europe and there always will be. The Euro-zone and the Schengen Area are two which do not coincide with EU membership, which itself draws another line. Though for some being European means belonging to the European Union, in fact being part of Europe should not be a matter of being a member of a continental institution , group or organisation. This is why it is necessary to emphasise that the European Union is only one part of Europe and to present a Europe without dividing lines in which there is no hierarchy among its citizens. All countries and citizens have their place in Europe and their role to play.
Giving technical information about Europe
18. The Council of Europe has to be presented as a pan-European organisation and its action at European and international level promoted, since it co-operates with many countries on other continents as well as with various international organisations in many fields. Its work with non-European countries needs to be talked about in order for the scope of its work to be more clearly apprehended and understood, since many Europeans are unfamiliar with or unclear about its work. Europe is not an entity closed in upon itself.
19. In order to make Europe more visible and explain the role of all its different component actors, young Europeans need to be given technical information about Europe. Young people need to know what has been accomplished and what remains to be done in order to be able to form their own opinion about Europe. This is all the more important now that so many changes are under way in Europe. For example, in 2004 ten countries which are already members of the Council of Europe will be joining the European Union, while Romania and Bulgaria are preparing to join at a later date. The Council of Europe has also asked the European Union to accede to the European Convention on Human Rights. This will lead the Council of Europe and the European Union to co-operate more closely. There is a danger that all these institutional changes may make Europeans less visible at a time when Europe is becoming increasingly important in their everyday lives.
Which Europe are we talking about?
20. The member countries of the Council of Europe agree on a great many principles but this does not mean that practices have become uniform throughout Europe. Each country maintains its own customs, traditions, etc.
21. This is not contradictory since, while perspectives may differ, they are compatible with each other. There is some unity amidst the diversity, particularly in the educational field since all countries agree that this is the keystone of democracy.
22. Europe should therefore be presented as an entity united on fundamental rights and principles but within which each individual country maintains it particular characteristics. Emphasis should be placed on what is shared by all European countries and, at the same time, on the continent’s great diversity.
The content of education for Europe
23. Europe is made up of a whole complex of elements and it is important to stress all these facets in order to enable young people to form their own idea of Europe and their European identity.
The history of European construction
24. Knowing where Europe comes from, its origins, and how the idea of a union of sovereign states to ensure peace and security on the continent was born, would enable its meaning to be clearly understood. Young people should be able to identify the various European players as well as the main legal texts drawn up by and for Europe. A clearer understanding of the structure of Europe and its work will make them aware of the importance of Europe in our societies.
25. There are various other perspectives too since there is interaction between Europe, nation-states and the international community.
26. Europe therefore has to be placed in the context of the individual country and culture, but also in an international context since it co-operates with the rest of the world and is concerned with other countries and organisations.
Foreign languages
27. Europe offers new prospects and above all new opportunities to the younger generation. Foreign language learning is therefore essential for fostering, not only communication among Europeans, but also European mobility.
28. The Council of Europe has already done a great deal of work in this field and it is important to continue to support foreign language learning, for example by offering more choice in schools, fostering correspondence and exchanges between pupils from different countries, and also by enabling very young children to discover other languages through songs, cartoons, etc which at the same time will familiarise them with other cultures.
29. In establishing the European Day of Languages (on the Assembly’s proposal), the Council of Europe has provided a recurring occasion on which to develop the diversification of language learning.
Other European countries
30. In addition to technical information about Europe, young people also need to learn about the other countries of which it is composed, to take an interest in their history, characteristics, culture, languages, customs and religions. Only greater knowledge of other European countries will foster greater mutual understanding. It is by explaining who other people are that prejudice, stereotypes and intolerance can be combated. This is particularly important in view of the great diversity in Europe and the lack of understanding that often results.
Teaching the values defended by the Council of Europe
31. The values Europe defends and wants to teach future European citizens need to be explained. They include the rule of law, democracy, peace, the defence of human rights, safeguarding the cultural and natural heritage, respect for the individual and tolerance.
32. These constitute a set of values recognised by all the member states as essential in any democratic society so that, despite cultural, religious, historical, political and other differences, all are committed to defending and respecting these European values. They are part of Europe’s common heritage and constitute a link between Europeans. Furthermore, the transmission of these values to young people would help us move towards effective respect of the rights of every individual.
Education for political participation
33. It is by introducing young people to politics and what active citizenship means that they can be made aware of the issues involved in citizenship in a democracy. Thus explaining how democratic societies function (elections, the division of powers, decision-making, etc) would be a good way of making young people understand the importance of such involvement in the life of society. Training programmes for young political leaders, such as the Council of Europe’s Democratic Leadership programme, are ways of targeting the more actively involved. Organised youth activities have a more general relevance.
Adding a European dimension to other subjects
34. When subjects already included in school curricula in member states are being taught, young people should be made aware of Europe. The different subjects (history, geography, civic education, foreign languages, mathematics, etc) should be exploited to discuss approaches present in other countries and place events in a European and global context.
Teaching the history of the individual country in relation to Europe
35. It is important to present Europe and include its history in the history of the individual country and culture. This might include saying which organisations and institutions it belongs or does not belong to and for how long or showing how the fact of being part of Europe and belonging to certain institutions and organisations has repercussions at the national, regional and local levels, showing what changes have taken place and how the country has changed. This would give a better understanding of how it takes part in Europe, the role it plays in it and what the benefits are.
Where should education for Europe take place?
36. It should be present at all educational levels. It is important for there to be continuity and that every opportunity should be taken to talk about Europe. It is not a question of putting in place a specific subject on Europe. It is sufficient to use existing structures, subjects and activities to discuss the various aspects of Europe.
37. It is also important to adapt the teaching to each educational level and country.
Primary school
38. If Europe-related issues are explained to pupils very early on and they are made aware of them, they will feel more concerned and will therefore take more interest in them and want to participate actively as European citizens. As for all the values defended by the Council of Europe such as citizenship, tolerance, respect and so forth, they should be inculcated as early as possible.
Secondary education
39. Such teaching should be continued in secondary schools in order to ensure continuity and enable pupils to deepen their knowledge and be aware of changes and current events in Europe.
40. It would also be useful to introduce into each subject taught at school – history, geography, civics and foreign languages, but also mathematics, art and sport – a European dimension or perspective. Current approaches and theories in other countries should be discussed and the various subjects placed in a European context.
Higher education
41. European studies and research should be promoted in order to enable students to take an interest in Europe and, if they wish, focus on it.
42. Student mobility should also be fostered by encouraging member states in particular to back students who want to study abroad and by facilitating the recognition of qualifications.
Lifelong learning
43. It is not only young people who need to be taught about Europe: such education should be made accessible at every level of training. Education for Europe should be ongoing.
44. Although it is important that education for Europe should take place at school, it should not be confined to formal education. It should also be included in non-formal and informal education since we now understand their importance in children’s education and their significant role in training future citizens.
45. Member states should be encouraged to introduce a European dimension into school curricula and foster the creation of projects on Europe in schools. There might be class projects in some schools with the objective of learning about a particular European country, its culture, religions, political system and so forth. In contemporary societies, significant space should also be given to the new information and communication technologies. This would open up new opportunities to young people.
Non-formal education
46. Thought should be given to everything that contributes to young people’s education, the media in particular, and to initiatives that might contribute to education for Europe, such as broadcasting foreign programmes in their original versions but with subtitles in order to facilitate understanding or the production of radio programmes dealing with Europe in general or specific aspects of certain European countries – sport, reading, art, films, traditions, festivals and so on.
Informal education
47. School trips and exchanges, the twinning of towns and correspondence between Europeans should all be facilitated, whether at municipal, school, association or family level. It is important to involve all civil society institutions.
Setting up education for Europe
48. It is not a matter of setting up a specific subject on Europe in the school system of every member state of the Council of Europe. On the contrary, each country should be left to decide how it wants to educate for Europe. The organisation should simply encourage states to take action to discuss Europe from every point of view through structures and subjects already in place at national level. This would be more effective because easier and speedier and because each country would be able to do so with the resources available to it.
49. There should not necessarily be major changes in school curricula; it should be enough to introduce a European dimension to subject teaching. Significant funding should not be required either: all that is needed is to take every opportunity to discuss Europe.
a) It should be introduced in the forthcoming Council of Europe work programme. A recommendation will be sent to the Committee of Ministers that education for Europe should be placed on the organisation’s agenda.
b) Ministries of Education should be kept informed of current events in Europe. The Council of Europe could regularly send them documents explaining recent major changes, new texts adopted and above all current and forthcoming projects.
c) Ministries of Education should be informed of initiatives taken in other countries to present Europe to pupils. They should be informed of examples of good practices throughout Europe in order to take them as models.
d) The development of materials on Europe which teachers could use as a reference and which would help them to understand everything it implies should be encouraged.
e) A European dimension should be introduced into teacher training.
f) The use of information and communication technologies should be fostered in order to initiate dialogue among Europeans and create inter-school projects with the aim of discussing Europe, communicating directly and exchanging ideas and opinions on Europe. Pupils should try to learn about other European countries through the Internet: access the press and current affairs in various European countries (music, sport, traditions, etc).
g) The creation of projects on European issues or aimed at discovering a different culture linking schools from different member countries should be promoted. For example, exchanges through schools or twinning among several municipalities could provide the opportunity to learn about other cultures.
A new project for the Council of Europe
50. If much that is said here about the European dimension of education is based on policies developed in the 1990s and which still need to be implemented in educational institutions throughout Europe, the objective-based approach of Europe through education is new. The development of policies from education for Europe to Europe through education could constitute a challenging project for the Council of Europe to develop over the coming years. Many questions need to be addressed, such as European identity and citizenship, the relationship between national policies and European policies, and the responsibilities of the stakeholders. This is a subject that should be addressed by the coming Summit in 2005. It is already anticipated by the designation of 2005 as “European Year of Citizenship through Education”.
Appendix: the Council of Europe’s contribution to education
The political mission of the Council of Europe is sustained by intense efforts in education. Perceived as a major pillar of the new Europe, learning democracy is granted wide and clear political support.
This support takes the shape of the following documents, policy orientations, projects and activities:
1. Political documents
a) Final Declaration of the Second Summit of Heads of State and Governments of the member States of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, 10-11 October 1997)
b) Declaration and programme in education for democratic citizenship, based on the rights and responsibilities of citizens, adopted by the Committee of Ministers at the occasion of the Council of Europe's 50th Anniversary (7 May 1999)
c) Recommendations related to specific aspects of education for Europe:
Recommendations adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly
Recommendation 1111 (1989) on the European dimension of education
Recommendation 1283 (1996) on history and the learning of history in Europe
Recommendation 1346 (1997) on human rights education
Recommendation 1383 (1998) on linguistic diversification
Recommendation 1539 (2001) on the European Year of Languages
Recommendation and resolutions adopted by the Committee of Ministers
Recommendation (83) 4 concerning the promotion of European awareness in secondary education
Resolution (85) 6 on European cultural identity
Recommendation (98) 9 on access to higher education in Europe
Recommendation (98) 6 on modern languages
Recommendation (2000) 24 on the Development of European Studies for Democratic Citizenship
Recommendation (2001) 15 on history teaching in 21st century Europe
Recommendation (2002) 12 on education for democratic citizenship
2. Education policy orientations
Conclusions of the 20th Standing Conference of European Ministers of Education on "Education Policies for Democratic Citizenship and Social Cohesion" (Cracow, 15-17 October 2000)
Final Declaration of the 21st Standing Conference of European Ministers of Education on "Intercultural Education: Managing Diversity, Strengthening Democracy" (Athens, 10-12 November 2003)
3. Projects and activities
(selected list)
a) Education policies and reforms in Europe
identify major problems of education systems in Europe
set priorities for reforms and define areas for co-operation
provide assistance to countries and regions in need
facilitate dialogue between policy-makers, stakeholders and practitioners
promote innovation and values-oriented education
b) Education for democratic citizenship
promote a lifelong learning perspective on citizenship education
take stock of policies, practices and support systems throughout Europe
provide innovative teacher training schemes
develop practical tools for democratic school management and governance
c) Language policies
promote education policies for diversification and plurilingualism
develop support systems for curriculum, teachers training and quality assurance
provide assistance for policy making and strategic planning
d) History teaching
prepare methodological guides, teaching packs and joint history textbooks
provide assistance to curriculum reform
develop teacher training activities on controversial issues and multiperspectivity
e) The European dimension
define education policies for intercultural learning and European citizenship
prepare teachers to cope with cultural and religious diversity
promote European awareness in formal curricula and non-formal learning
promote student mobility, school links and exchanges
support mutual recognition of qualifications and develop joint academic programmes
Reporting committee: Committee on Culture, Science and Education
Reference to committee: Doc. 9704, Reference N� 2807 of 31.03.2003 and Doc. 10158, Reference N� 2963 of 30.04.2004
Draft recommendation unanimously adopted by the committee on 30 April 2004
Members of the Committee: MM. de Puig (Chairman), Baronne Hooper MM. Prisacaru, Smorawinski (Vice-Chairpersons), Apostoli, Banks, Barbieri, Mrs Bemelmans-Videc (Alternate: Dees), Berceanu, Bojovic, Braga, Buzatu, Mrs Castro, MM. Colombier, Cubreacov, Dalgaard, Mme Damanaki (Alternate: Mme Katseli), Mr Debono Grech (Alternate : Falzon), Mrs Delvaux-Stehres, Mr Devinski, Mrs Dromberg, Mrs Eymer, Mrs Fern�ndez-Capel, MM. Gadzinowski, Mrs Glovacki-Bernardi, MM. Goutry, Grachev, Gross (Alternate: Reimann), G�nd�z I, G�nd�z S, Gunnarsson, Mrs Hadziahmetovic, MM. Hegyi, Henry, Howlin, Huseynov R, Iannuzzi (Alternate: Gaburro), Jakic, Jarab, Mr Kocharian, MM. Legendre, Lengagne, Letzgus, Libicki, Livaneli, Mrs Lucyga, MM. Malgieri, Marxer, McNamara, Mrs Melandri, MM. Melnikov, Mestan (Alternate: Pavlov), Mezihorak, Mrs Milotinova, Mrs Morganti, Mrs Muttonen, MM. Nazar� Pereira, O’Hara, Mrs Ohlsson, MM. Papadimitriou, Rakhansky, Randegger, Mrs Reps, MM. Ribera Ambatlle, Rockenbauer, Mrs Rugate, Rybak, Mrs Samoilovska-Cvetanova (Alternate: Mme Petrova-Mitevska), MM. Schneider, Shybko, Šileikis, Sizopoulos (Alternate: Mme Pericleous Papadopoulos), Mrs Skarb�vik, MM. Skoch (Alternate: Korobeynikov), Stojadinovic, Sudarenkov, van Thijn, Tusek, Vakilov (Alternate: Aliyev), Mrs Westerlund Panke, MM. Wodarg, ZZ (Georgia).
N.B. The names of those present at the meeting are printed in italics
Head of secretariat: Mr Grayson
Secretaries to the committee: Mr Ary, Mrs Theophilova-Permaul