Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
AEGEE’s, the European Students Forum’s, point of view on the Future of European Education. Following the on-going debates in the field of education, especially concerning the topic of internationalisation of education, AEGEE-Europe – representing 20 000 students from 40 European countries and 261 branches, wishes to present its statement on this topic. AEGEE-Europe has been carefully following the discussions concerning Education, which take place within the Bologna Process, EU activities – such as the Lisbon Process, as well as the impact of General Agreement on Trade on Services on Education. AEGEE representing active, European-minded students, working without a national level, sees the need of stronger involvement of students in the discussion. AEGEE-Europe strongly supports the developments of the Bologna Process. In particular we see that certain areas need further action: the further promotion of mobility of all parties involved in Education, also removing the still remaining structural barriers to free – horizontal and vertical - mobility the building of the European Identity through Higher Education, whilst preserving cultural differences, a tool for this should be the promotion of use of foreign languages, especially English the recognition of non-formal education as a part of curricula the involvement of all European countries – also those of South East Europe, Eastern Europe and Turkey – in the process, and especially in the mobility programmes The debate concerning ‘commodification’ and internationalisation is also very relevant to AEGEE. Here we wish to stress our belief in the Free Trade and the need to commitment to cross-boarder liberalization of trade. The deregulation of ‘educational services’, we believe, is a needed and valuable process, and the commitment to the Rules of GATS covering ‘educational services’ needs to take place. Nevertheless, we wish to state that: regulations need to be undertaken which would counteract: 1) massification of taught courses and pure market orientation of higher education 2) social exclusion and the abolishment of equal opportunities 3) carrying out of market-oriented research only the position of national and international decision-makers needs to be clarified in order to ensure equal opportunities to all national governments and market players on the global market Education is a service of extremely high national interest and access to it is recognized as basic human right. Therefore we believe any decisions on its evolution need to be consulted with all involved parties. This Statement has been ratified by the General Assembly of the European Students Forum, Amsterdam, 5th May 2002.