Questions raised over equal educational opportunities in the EU

Citation

(2003), "Questions raised over equal educational opportunities in the EU", Education + Training, Vol. 45 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2003.00445fab.009

Questions raised over equal educational opportunities in the EU

Questions raised over equal educational opportunities in the EU

The introduction of market mechanisms in education and training could contribute to education inequality and the exclusion of disadvantaged groups, according to European research. In a meeting chaired in Brussels by Philippe Busquin, European Commissioner responsible for Research, the results of several recent EU-financed research projects on education and training were discussed. On higher education, for example, research reveals that social and political demands on and expectations for universities have grown, while in most countries the level of public funding has been frozen or is falling. This has reduced the capacity of higher-education institutions to meet the demands made upon them. Research on school-to-work transitions shows that those at the bottom of the qualification ladder encounter substantial difficulties in entering the labour market and are the most vulnerable to economic swings. In contrast, those who have taken part in vocational education and training tend to have a smoother transition to their first job and achieve more stable employment.

Research suggests that, given the diversity in education, training and labour-market systems across Europe, the same policies are unlikely to be equally effective in different contexts. However, children who fail early in their education are at the greatest disadvantage in all European countries. There is therefore a need for policies to reduce such failure and to provide alternative routes to gaining skills.

Research on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in learning shows that, besides access to technology, a number of other factors determine the success or failure of ICT-related educational innovation. Teacher training, in particular, appears to be a critical factor. Research suggests that educational innovation involving the use of ICT should not be considered only as a matter of access to technology or only as a matter of implementation. Educational institutions are social organizations that both influence the ways in which an innovation will be adopted and are influenced by that innovation.