High-quality education for all

Key points

In its exploratory opinion, the EESC:

• requests that policies decided to cope with the economic crisis and sovereign debt do not jeopardise quality education and training;

• asks for a better use of the European Funds, especially the European Social Fund (ESF), and Horizon 2020, in order to support quality education and training, research and innovation;

• encourages the EU and its Member States to seek more synergies and concerted EU-wide strategies in the field of education for all;

• stresses the importance of state-funded high quality education and training for all;

• recommends investing in the qualification of teachers and trainers, ensuring gender balance in recruitment, and providing stable work and good career conditions and salaries for all of them;

• recommends promoting alliances between the most diverse educational actors, involving the whole educational community;

• emphasises the relevance of educating citizens on human rights and on their role as citizens, as well as of strengthening European values in all educational programmes;
• pleads for a stronger support for early childhood education and lifelong learning;
• highlights the need to create training opportunities for young school-leavers, low-skilled workers and migrant workers and to recognise the outcomes of non-formal and informal education;

• pleads for more cooperation between companies and education and training systems to identify skills needs and promote employment;

• request the strengthening of EU-wide mobility opportunities for students, academics, teachers, trainers and researchers – and that this also applies to non-formal systems, vocational training and apprenticeships.