ESIB Statement to the
Informal Education Council 16-17 March, 2006.

Dear European Ministers of Education,

Thank you for taking the time to read ESIB’s statement on the ‘Education and Training 2010 programme - an agenda that aims to reform the higher education systems that we, the students of Europe, are studying in. ESIB - The National Unions of Students in Europe is the umbrella organisation of 45 national unions of students from 34 countries and through these members represent over 10 million students. [1]

We welcome the communication “Modernising education and training: a vital contribution to prosperity and social cohesion in Europe”[2] which was published in November 2005. First of all, we are happy to see that the report acknowledges the diverse roles of education, having economic, social, personal and cultural benefits for our societies. We also welcome the report’s call for the inclusion of social partners in the implementation process.  We call on you to explicitly support this statement and thus engage in a constructive dialogue with student representatives, as equal stakeholders, on the effects of this process. In the past three days, delegates from National Unions of Students from all across Europe have been discussing the Lisbon Strategy and the Education and Training 2010 programme of the European Union. We see three priorities that need to be addressed. if Europe is to achieve the goals we seek. Our major and most urgent concern is the continuously increasing trend of introducing higher tuition fees. Secondly, further student inclusion in the process is required. Thirdly, new benchmarks and actions are required to enable more participation of underrepresented groups in higher education.

Tuition Fees or Sustainable Investments? 

Although ESIB strongly supports more investment in higher educat, backed by a more efficient use of current resources, we do not believe that students are capable of paying the price. In all European countries, it is mainly the wealthiest students who are enjoying higher educatio, because the majority are unable to afford the costs associated with higher education. Thus, more and more European talent is wasted every day, as students either refrain from entering or drop out of higher education for financial reasons. Even though all investment in the public sector is under pressure, as our systems are being reformed, ESIB believes - more than ever - that higher education should be free for all. If achieving a knowledge-based society is becoming your top priority, investment in higher education must be matched by an investment in students and the abolition of tuition fees, be they top-up, up-front or income contingent.

Inclusion of Students in the Process

As all reforms of and within the higher education system directly affect students, ESIB strongly believes that all these reforms should be properly discussed with student representatives - before they are implemented. Following this reasoning, ESIB has since 2001 been a full part of the follow-up structure of the Bologna Process. This process has shown to make fast progress. while keeping a constructive dialogue with the higher education community, including students and their representatives. In this spirit, ESIB calls on you to accept us as a member of the coordination group that is tasked with  progressing the “Education and Training 2010” programme. With the input of students, not only will the quality of the reform programme improve, but the reforms will also have more legitimacy when implemented. We call on you to make sure that National Unions of Students are included at all stages as equal partners when setting up coordination groups for the implementation of the work programme at the national level.

Equity in Higher Education

The “Education and Training 2010” programme has laid an emphasis on social issues surrounding higher education such as the participation rates of women in mathematical, scientific and technological studies. However, ESIB firmly believes that more focus on equity and access is needed than the joint progress report describes. Social objectives should be at the heart of any higher education reform. We urgently need to create a more inclusive higher education system for ethnic minorities, students with disabilities, students without family background in higher education and all other groups whose participation in higher education is lower than expected. This concerns not only access to the first cycle, but also the transition between the different cycles. Although comprehensive data is not yet available, the indicators from the Eurostudent 2005 report[3] show that in many countries, students from privileged groups continue to be more likely to study in European higher education institutions.

Therefore ESIB encourages you to set concrete targets for participation of underrepresented groups in higher education and use social, financial and academic methods to improve participation of these groups. Benchmarks and comprehensive data from all member states on this issue are urgently needed, and should be set up in close cooperation with the higher education community, including students.

With this contribution, which we urge you to consider seriously, we hope to show the priorities that we, the students of Europe, believe are vital for the future of a European society, economy and culture.