Ministers make progress on European indicator of linguistic competence

Citation

(2006), "Ministers make progress on European indicator of linguistic competence", Education + Training, Vol. 48 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2006.00448gab.012

Ministers make progress on European indicator of linguistic competence

EU education ministers meeting in the European Council have adopted conclusions on the European indicator of linguistic competence, which aims to give each member state reliable information on its strengths and weaknesses in foreign-language teaching and learning.

The indictor will involve testing pupils’ knowledge in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. The first phase will assess listening comprehension, reading and writing levels. Communication skills will be assessed in a later phase of the initiative.

Ministers were divided over the age at which pupils should be tested. Some thought 15 was most appropriate, while others favoured 16-17. Ministers asked the Commission to present more detailed proposals on the principles underpinning the indicator.

On the European Quality Charter for Mobility, ministers adopted ten principles to encourage mobility for students and adults who wish to train abroad and to make it easier for them to settle in their chosen country. Elizabeth Gehrer, the Austrian Education Minister, who chaired the council, highlighted the need to inform students about existing programmes, the assessment of levels of language training, the practical support available from universities, and the mentoring provided by member states in the foreign country. The French Education Minister, Gilles de Robien, said that France would like to see Erasmus higher-education and Leonardo vocational-training grants double before 2013, because these programmes “play an important role in creating a common European culture and should have more students, school pupils and apprentices”.