Opening speech by Commissioner Gabriel at the 4th European Education Summit - Hoofdinhoud

President von der Leyen, Vice-President Schinas,

Dear Ministers,

Dear friends, dear learners,

Welcome to the fourth European Education Summit!

It is such a pleasure to be in such esteemed company, with our President and Vice-President, with so many ministers, with school leaders, teachers, and students, following us online.

Education concerns us all. I started this speech addressing our dear learners. That is every one of us, from children in kindergarten to adult learners, to teachers developing their skills, to Ministers and Commissioners. We are all learning, constantly. No term is more inclusive.

Because of this, because education affects all our futures, we have to make sure that the vision we pursue is informed by all these voices. And so, we are here today, to discuss the next decade, a Decade for European Education.

One year ago, we started a discussion on the European Education Area, as we focused on digital education, especially important in the context of the pandemic.

We asked how we could support our education systems, and all of us in the education community, to face the future. Our answer came in the form of an operational European Education Area by 2025.

The Area should help the education community be more digitally empowered, more sustainable, and more resilient.

We heard these points already last year.

Today, we will take it a step further, and start taking stock. We will discuss ongoing initiatives, and the next steps.

We will look at these three points, and see how this decade is unfolding for European Education.

First, a more digital decade.

I am quite sure that, years from now, when we look back, the years 2020 to 2022 will be seen as the big boom of digital education, all over the world. COVID certainly accelerated this process.

We saw it already at the Summit last year, right after we launched the updated Digital Education Action Plan. A year later, I am proud to say that this Plan is well under way.

The Council Recommendation on blended learning for high quality and inclusive primary and secondary education was an important first milestone.

This Recommendation provides our Member States with a common understanding of the potential of digitalisation for inclusive school education. It also looks at our need to further develop the digital competences of both teachers and students, and how we can work together, learning from each other.

I am grateful for the broad support of our Member States. It shows the solid base on which we stand for future activities in this field.

And I am also glad that we are not just talking the talk, we are walking the walk. We have made the new Erasmus+ a more digitally enabled programme, with technology helping in the management of its projects, for the benefit of our beneficiaries.

Then there is the European Student Card initiative, fostering the move towards digitally empowered mobility. This way, we make Erasmus+ even more attractive for students.

Next year, we plan to speed our common work on digital education and skills based also on the structured dialogue with Member States and stakeholders that we launched in October. To achieve our goals, including equipping 80% of people with basic digital skills by 2030, we need to work as one in the EU, at all levels.

Second, a greener, more sustainable decade.

The value of an education system can also be measured by its ability to guide us in tackling societal challenges, such as climate change.

This was why, during last year's Summit, I launched the Education for Climate Coalition. I am pleased to say, our work is well under way.

Just two weeks ago, we saw hundreds of people from all over Europe come together at the first Education for Climate Day. They participated in workshops and discussions, leading to concrete projects and, most importantly, the first five ‘community challenges' to be tackled by the Coalition!

Indeed, the success of this initiative proves how invested the education community is on this issue. It also shows the will of so many young people to do something concrete to tackle climate change, to make a difference.

To follow this up, we are proposing a Council Recommendation on education for environmental sustainability very soon. This should lead to a common European approach for our Member States to integrate sustainability into school learning, higher education and professional training.

In parallel, the Commission will propose a new European Competence Framework to develop and assess knowledge, skills and attitudes on climate change and sustainability.

Both of these initiatives will help our Member States give their school communities the tools they need to empower us to be more sustainable.

Third, a more resilient decade.

COVID-19 showed us how much we rely on our ability to deal collectively with the unexpected. When schools could no longer open, teachers, learners, and families had to adapt.

This was not without its cost. The education community saw its well-being challenged. Without social contact in the schoolyard, young people suffered.

This had impact on education outcomes. As surveys have shown, it has been challenging, for many, to keep up with learning and teaching requirements.

To better understand this challenge, we need evidence. That is why this year's Education and Training Monitor, which Director-General Themis Christophidou will present later today, will focus on “Wellbeing”.

This is a key aspect for resilience. People who feel isolated and unsupported cope less well.

Which is why teachers played such a fundamental role in making sure their students stayed connected with the classroom, even at home.

I speak for everyone when I thank our teachers for their amazing commitment. We - policymakers - may well work hard to provide initiatives and tools to support your work, but you are the ones who put it all in practice.

To show how important you are to us all, and how much your effort, commitment, and creativity matter, I launched the European Innovative Teaching Award.

In this first edition, we saw innovative teachers all over Europe being recognised, from early childhood education and care to secondary education and vocational education and training!

I loved seeing all their projects. And today, I am delighted to share their amazing work with you, in our panel, in just a little bit.

Of course, in addition to recognition, our teachers also need support to grow in their profession. That is why teacher training plays such a prominent role in the European Education Area.

For example, we are establishing 25 Erasmus+ Teacher Academies by 2025.

These new networks will bring together teacher education providers to create networks and communities of practice. Together, they will address key challenges, such as developing innovative digital pedagogies, inclusion, or teaching in multilingual classrooms.

I look forward to launching the first projects early next year.

Dear participants, fellow learners,

I hope you agree - we are not at the outset of a journey. We are well underway.

With the evidence of the European Education and Training Monitor and the valuable experiences of so many communities and practitioners around Europe, we are on the right path.

A path that is more digitally empowered, greener, and more resilient.

Most importantly, a path that is inclusive, because as I said at the beginning, we are all learners, and we are all concerned by education and training.

I hope you have great discussions in this fourth European Education Summit!

Thank you.