Toespraak eurocommissaris Vassiliou over verbeteringen van de Erasmus en 'creative Europe' programma's (en)

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to welcome you this afternoon to this discussion on innovation and creativity in schools.

I would like to thank in particular the Danish Presidency of the European Union for hosting the event. It is quite fitting that a country that is known for its excellence in education and innovation hosts such a debate.

Innovation is a key priority for the European Union. It is crucial to our economic growth. And because it is crucial, we have put innovation, together with education and research, at the very heart of the EU 2020 strategy for growth and jobs.

We know that growth and jobs in Europe will in future come from innovative products, services and business models. But we also know that this will not be possible if Europe cannot nurture, attract and retain talent. And the key to this is quality education.

Yet, too often, the innovation debate leaves out education, particularly school education. I find this striking, because we will not be able to stimulate innovation if we do not improve the quality of school education.

I think what it all boils down to is: yes, we need top quality researchers and entrepreneurs to have a thriving knowledge society. But that is not enough. We equally need a high level of basic skills for all.

STEM and ICT as basic skills

So with that as our starting point, we must focus educational reforms on making sure all our young people acquire the high level of basic skills they will need for the future. Otherwise, we end up with two tier education systems where those who do not acquire the basic skills at primary level struggle later on in school. And the risk is they will enter a vicious circle of low skills, low employability, poverty and exclusion. Once they cross that line, it becomes an uphill struggle to get out. The rocketing figures of youth unemployment that we see today, with more than one in five young Europeans out of work, are a stern reminder that the low skilled are more vulnerable.

At European level, in our cooperation in education and training with EU countries, we recognise this need for a high level of basic skills for all. And we recognise that science and mathematics, and solid competences in ICT, are central to these basic skills of tomorrow.

For this, the EU Member States have adopted a benchmark to reduce the number of low achievers in mathematics and science to 15% by 2020. While we see good progress in this direction in science, more efforts are needed to improve mathematical competences.

The Commission has set up a Thematic Working Group on Mathematics, Science and Technology to find concrete ways to reduce the share of low achievers in mathematics and science. The Working Group is able to share best practices from across Europe in dealing with low achievement in these subjects. One of the priority areas it has identified is the use of ICT in the classroom.

In fact the European Commission has also set up a thematic working group for ICT to support peer learning and the sharing of good practices among Member States on ICT and education. Not only do we want to improve e-skills and digital competences, but we also want to maximise ICT's potential to help children learn.

Today in the audience, we have many of the members of these groups. So I would like to take this opportunity to welcome their efforts. I am looking forward to the outcome of their work, which I am sure will provide concrete policy guidance on how countries can achieve the 2020 benchmark.

But there are some things we already know. For instance, we know that it's possible to support both the low and high performing students to achieve better results in learning. The latest results in PISA tests vindicate this vision. All European countries which have improved in PISA have done so from the bottom-up. They have practiced a policy of not just teaching the best and the brightest but also of reducing the share of low achievers.

By combining excellence and equity, they have shown that it is possible - and beneficial - to shift overall student achievement one notch higher. For me, this is a clear case where "a rising tide lifts all boats".

We also know that we need to nurture talent early: attitudes and motivation to pursue a career in the field of science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) develop very early in a child's schooling.

Indeed, primary and lower secondary education are critical moments when a child's natural curiosity for these subjects turn into the motivation to pursue them further. To spark that motivation and to keep it alive, we need to raise the overall quality of STEM education and to find and promote innovative initiatives in this field.

Of course, simply saying 'raise the overall quality' will not take us very far. Schools are complex systems with a number of factors influencing their success. And it's only by analysing these factors and exchanging experiences - as you will today - that we can learn more effective ways to provide young people with the opportunities to develop their skills in full.

Innovation in STEM and ICT

You know, I have sometimes heard education systems compared to super tankers: slow in turning around, with a lot of inertia.

I don't believe this is true: all across Europe I see a lot of reforms, innovation and initiative in education to make our systems fit for the twenty first century.

The Eurydice network recently did a survey on science education and found that more than half of the EU countries have reformed their STEM curricula in the last five years. And the others are preparing to do so.

But I think that the reason it takes time is because we are rebuilding our ships while at sea, and this is not easy.

Most innovation happens at the micro level, in classrooms. A large number of teachers are constantly innovating, tweaking and improving their practice. And a large number are networking in order to share their practices and to keep up with the latest developments.

One of our most successful actions at EU level, eTwinning, provides a platform to connect classrooms through ICT across Europe. This generates a huge number of innovative projects at very low cost. And many of these projects are launched by enthusiastic STEM teachers. They see eTwinning as a teacher- friendly way to stimulate math and science learning and introduce the use of ICT in education.

But innovation does not only come from teachers. Learners are crucial in the process too. And non-formal education outside the classroom is a hotbed for innovative learning.

Teenagers in Europe spend more time online than with their parents or even in school. A lot of this time is spent reading and acquiring information, or developing a wide range of skills,. The crucial question is how to better combine what is happening in school with the richness of non-formal learning.

Five years ago, the Commission published the report of the High Level Group of scientists chaired by Michel Rocard. It strongly advocated changing pedagogies in science education, , in order to shift towards inquiry-driven approaches and problem solving. Following this, the EU allocated 60 million euros to a large number of on-going cross-European programmes. This has made it possible to link academia, business, teachers and teacher educators and support inquiry-based pedagogies across Europe.

One of the most promising initiatives - financed by the EU's seventh Framework Programme - has been the creation of the European Coordinating Body (ECB) in Maths, Science and Technology Education. It brings together in a strong partnership the business world and schools across Europe to improve education in maths, science and technology and to link it more to real life situations. Another project, Scientix, managed by the European Schoolnet, brings together a wealth of information of science projects all across Europe.

The role of the new generation of programmes

These are just a couple of examples of the educational innovation we see all around us. I see, however, two challenges: creating an environment that fosters innovation even more and scaling up such innovation to make a difference at the level of education systems.

In order to do this, we need to break national and regional constraints to innovation. European educational programmes play a very important role here, because they support exchanges and collaboration between teachers and schools, but also involve the academic and policy world.

This is one of the reasons why, under the future Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020, the Commission is proposing that the education sector receive the largest relative budget increase - an increase of nearly 75% compared to current programmes.

The new proposal for an integrated programme, Erasmus for All, highlights in particular the need to develop partnerships between education institutions and enterprises. Our proposal also strengthens the role of direct networking between teachers across borders through eTwinning and provides schools with more autonomy in managing their projects. On the policy side, it offers more possibilities for joint projects, with a higher impact on the education systems of the Member States.

We also aim to boost policy cooperation in stimulating educational innovation. Towards the end of this year we will outline in a Communication on rethinking skills the kind of skills education and training systems should generate. We will look at how to promote open and flexible learning and how to better target our limited resources in a time of crisis in order to boost skill levels. We will also look at how we can better tap into the potential for education of information and communication technologies, in particular through a more widespread use of open educational resources. How to 'Open up education through technologies' will also be the topic of a Ministerial conference organised by Cyprus and Norway in December.

Ladies and gentlemen,

At a time when Europe is facing many difficult challenges, it is crucial we remain focused on what matters most in the long run: a solid skill basis is essential for both the individual and the economy.

And at a time when international competition is intensifying, it is becoming increasingly clear that survival of our social model depends on achieving sustainable growth.

And if the knowledge economy we want for Europe is to be a reality, we need a broad population with sufficient scientific and mathematical literacy and a wide basis of highly skilled professionals.

Without the close collaboration and involvement of the many different players concerned - including you - we cannot achieve this. It is only by working in partnership that we will be able to stimulate the innovation we need in Europe for stronger education systems.

I look forward to our continued cooperation and wish you a rich and inspiring discussion.

Thank you.