15 June 1995

Doc. 7326

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

Reply to Recommendation 1248 (1994)

on education for gifted children

(adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 7 June 1995

at the 540th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)

      The Committee of Ministers refers to Recommendation 1248 (1994) of the Parliamentary Assembly on Education for gifted children and wishes to inform the Assembly that it decided to bring the text of the Recommendation to the attention of the Governments of States signatories to the European Cultural Convention and to transmit it to the Education Committee (CC-ED) of the Council for Cultural Co-operation (CDCC) inviting it to take account, as far as possible, in its programmes, of the principles expressed in this Recommendation.

      The Committee of Ministers wishes to inform the Assembly that the issues raised in Recommendation 1248 (1994) were considered by the Education Committee in 1991, more specifically in the framework of an educational research workshop on gifted children and adolescents held in Nijmegen (Netherlands). The conclusions of this workshop, which have been published, largely tie in with the views expressed by the Parliamentary Assembly.

      More recently as part of the Programme for the In-Service Training of Teachers, several seminars have addressed these issues, largely from the point of view of classroom practice and the need for teachers to be made aware of, and trained in, the consideration of the specific requirements of individuals.

      Also the experience of several projects, particularly those in the field of intercultural education and primary and secondary school education, shows that the diversification of pupils, and the corresponding diversification of needs, is an important factor which has been increasingly taken into account in the education reforms under way in the member states. The search for a balance between fulfilling the aims and general objectives of the education systems and meeting specific needs is generally at the core of reform strategies.

      The Committee of Ministers would like to reassure the Assembly that the Council for Cultural Co-operation and its specialised Committee on Education share its concern that care should be taken not to "label" pupils, so as to avoid the often adverse effects of separating pupils into different groups.

      It is true that the concept of "gifted children" covers a wide range of situations and needs to be clarified. However, in view of the priorities already agreed upon and of budgetary constraints, the Committee of Ministers does not consider it appropriate for an ad hoc committee to be set up to examine these issues.