November 19, 2006
The Benchmarking- Providing better Educational results on long term
by Mihaela Chraif
EJOP Editor
Organizations are made up of their individual members. Each individual member is a central feature of organizational behavior and a necessary part of any behavioral situation. When the needs of the individual and the demands of the organization are incompatible, this can result in conflict and frustration. Organizational learning is complex, occurs at different cognitive levels and involves multiple cognitive processes as perception, thinking, memory and imagination. The information acquisition does not only involve bringing information about the external environment into the organization, but must be extended to the use of existing knowledge within the organization. But when information is widely distributed in an organization, so that more and more varied sources for it exist, retrieval efforts are more likely to succeed and individuals and units are more likely to be able to learn (Chraif, 2005).
Teachers and trainers are traditionally one of the most important interfaces between individuals and society. They have always played a vital role in the transmission of knowledge and cultural values.
However, the economic and social changes in Europe proceeding from the knowledge revolution are placing increasingly complex demands on the teaching profession. Schools and teachers are expected to deal with different languages and student backgrounds, to be sensitive to culture and gender issues, to promote tolerance and social cohesion, to respond effectively to disadvantaged students and students with learning or behavioral problems, to use new technologies, and to keep pace with rapidly developing fields of knowledge and approaches to student assessment (OECD 2004).
The EU Legislation environment in benchmarking implementation
The European Council in Lisbon in 2000 responded to the changing global challenge by announcing a comprehensive economic and social policy strategy: to become, by 2010, “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth, with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion.” (Lisbon 2000).
The responsibility put on European education and training systems by the institutionalization of this goal is immense. Education and training help to deliver what European citizens desire most – personal fulfillment, jobs, prosperity, greater social cohesion and a cleaner environment. Without first-rate education and training systems, a skilled, flexible workforce, a cohesive, participative society, research into high-value and technologically-advanced products, it will not be possible to achieve the Lisbon goals.
The high ambitions in the field of European education and training were expressed in the wish of the Barcelona European Council of March 2002, that European training and education systems should become “a world reference for quality by 2010.” (Barcelona 2002).
The detailed analyses of progress towards the Lisbon objectives in training and education (2006) is represented by a report endorsed by The Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks prepared by: DG Education and Culture, Unit A6 (Analyses, Indicators and Benchmarks) in cooperation with EUROSTAT Eurydice European Unit CRELL (Centre of Research on Lifelong Learning) at the JRC. The major strategic objectives highlighted in this report were:
1) Improving the quality and effectiveness of education and training systems in the EU;
2) Facilitating the access of all to education and training systems;
3) Opening up education and training systems to the wider world.
In order of revealing the progress in the last five years (2000-2005) there were put in discussion 29 indicators for monitoring performance and progress of education and training systems in Europe (technical definitions), Statistics and graphics and Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks.
There were put in discussion and analyzed for these three major objectives the performances and progresses registered between 2000 and 2005 for the EU countries and the two Acceding countries (AC-Bulgaria, Romania), the Candidate Countries (Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Turkey); and three countries of the European Economic Area (EEA - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway): improving education and training for teachers and trainers; developing skills for the knowledge society; increasing recruitment to scientific and technical studies; ensuring access to ICT for everyone; participation in education and training; individual characteristics of early school leavers and factors influencing early school leaving; improving foreign language learning; mobility and co-operation.
Another strategic Objective of the “Education and Training 2010” program, “Facilitating the access of all to education and training systems,” contains three objectives focused on open learning environment, making learning more attractive and supporting active citizenship, equal opportunities and social cohesion. It puts the issue of the equity of the education and training systems. Questions of citizenship, equal opportunities and social cohesion are essential dimensions of education and training. Learning democratic values, and democratic participation by all school partners, should be promoted to prepare people for active citizenship.
The necessity of increasing particularly the participation of adults in lifelong learning and of reducing the number of young Europeans who leave the school with no more than lower secondary education has led the Council to establish benchmarks in these two areas towards the strategic objective of facilitating the access of all to education and training.
In most Member States of EU, the employed persons participate to non-formal education more than the unemployed and inactive persons. Furthermore, much more than the EU average, participated in non-formal education in Nordic countries, followed by about 40% in the UK and by a group of three countries – Slovenia, Austria and Slovakia – with participation rates of about 30% (see figure 1). Also, it can be observe that Romania and Bulgaria had in 2003 the lowest percentage of participation both employed and unemployed persons.
Figure 1 Participation of 25-64-year-olds in non-formal education by employment status (%), 2003
Source: Eurostat (Labour Force Survey, Ad hoc module on LLL), 2003, Target population: 25-64 years, reference period: 12 months.
Investment in education and training- major objective in benchmarking implementation
Key competences represent a set of transferable, multifunctional skills and qualities that all individuals need for personal development, social inclusion and employability. Key competency areas include the foundation skills, basic competences in mathematics, technology, foreign languages, ICT, science, learning-to-learn, social skills, and general culture. These competences should be developed by the end of compulsory education and should form the foundation for more advanced or specialized training in higher education and throw lifelong learning activities. Data from the European Labor Force Survey shows that participation in lifelong learning is strongly correlated to attainment levels achieved in formal education (EU Commission report 2006). Completing upper-secondary education is therefore very important for participation in the knowledge society. It is very important to inform them about the high personal returns from education, including, for example, higher salaries, higher labor force participation and a lower risk of unemployment.
Also, in the same report on 2006, it is highlighted that The Bologna process could influence participation in higher education in the future. The two-cycle courses make first degrees shorter in some European countries, thereby lowering costs and making them more attractive to students and reducing drop-outs. Some countries which had a structure closer to that to be generalized through the Bologna process, such as the UK, Denmark and some new Member States, have exhibited higher levels of participation tertiary education than countries in which long degrees were general, such as Spain, Italy or Germany. Furthermore, the report on 2006 offer the dates of participation in tertiary education is expanding not only in some countries which showed low participation rates in the mid-1990s, such as Greece, but also in countries that already had high participation rates, like the Nordic countries. As it can be observed, the participation rate for Romania is going up in order to implement the Bologna process.
As it can be seen in Figure 2, Participation in tertiary education has been increasing since many years in the EU. In 2003, European students enrolled in tertiary education represented already about half of the European population aged 20-24 years.
Figure 2 the participation in tertiary education (1998, 2000 and 2003) (%)
Data sources: Eurostat, UOE data collection, detailed analyses of progress towards the Lisbon objectives in education and training, 2006 report.
The government investment and regulations play important role in shaping access to tertiary education. The state is a large provider of higher education and it defines conditions for access, including number of admitted students, mainly by financing higher education. The state can also adopt strategies in relation to financial support to students with disadvantaged background. First of all, access to tertiary education depends on the demand for it. Some individuals understand the investment in their tertiary education as investment in the future. Educational investment is worthwhile for them in relation to economic and social returns with which it is connected.
Individuals demand education and training as long as it produces a return to their investment in time and money. There is also still a relatively strong link between class of origin and class of destination.
Furthermore, the access to higher education therefore depends to an important extent on the education and occupational status of the parents and, more generally, at macro-level, on the degree of income socio-economic inequalities in a given country.
Following the Figure 3 and the table bellow it can be seen the participation of adults in lifelong learning for the UE countries and for the two acceding countries: Romania and Bulgaria.
Figure 3 Participation of adults in lifelong learning (Percentage of population aged 25-64 participating in education and training, 2000 and 2005)
Data source: Eurostat (Labor Force Survey), detailed analyses of progress towards the Lisbon objectives in education and training, 2006 report.
Participation in education and training tends to be proportional to the level of prior education. As it can be observed in Figure 3 (labor sources survey) in 2005 only 3.4% of the population aged 25-64 with less than upper-secondary education participated in education and training in the four weeks prior to the survey, which corresponds to less than one third of the average figure over all levels of education, and less than one seventh of the figure for those with high educational attainment. Furthermore, sources from the DG Education and Culture, Unit A6 (Analyses, Indicators and Benchmarks), EUROSTAT and Eurydice European Unit CRELL (Centre of Research on Lifelong Learning) at the JRC underline in the report on 2006 regarding the detailed analyses of progress towards the Lisbon objectives in education and training that people with higher education levels are more easily reached by, and more receptive to, measures to encourage participation in education and training. The fact that many initiatives do not reach people with a low initial level of education is a key challenge for policy-makers.
Examining progress since 2000 to 2005 concerning participation of adults in lifelong learning it can be observed there are still countries where more progress should be achieved, and areas where further improvement must have priority, for example in order to reduce inequities. The highest percentages were obtained by Denmark (27.6%) and UK (29.1%). Unfortunately, in Romania the lifelong educational process for adults doesn’t go quite expected, only 1.6% on 2005 comparing to 0.9% in 2000.
These dates from the report on 2006 concerning participation of adults in lifelong learning should determinate us to implement in our educational structures from Romania the lifelong learning and training for adults. Thus, this implementation process is important not only for UE integration according UE standards of job performances but for increasing the level of education and training of the adults in labor field in Romania for high performances in work.
The diversity of the systems of education and training in individual European countries is understood as a part of Europe’s cultural features. Based on the traditions and specific conditions the individual Member States tried to respond to the needs of individual citizens, economies and societies in the field of education and training in a different way. Some countries have a comprehensive, non-selective system of education and training, in other countries the systems start to be selective already at an earlier stage. Taking in consideration the Romanian educational system and its possibilities of adaptation to EU standards required it must operate changes at all the educational levels. The first changes operated were the Bologna educational system, the credits accorded for the continuum learning of the adults gained in adults learning activities and trainings.
Seeing the dates from Figure 3 and analyzing the low percentage of the adults engaged in lifelong learning versus the high percentages of the EU countries we have to understand that living in a world based on knowledge and high performances we have to adapt and to evolve also as science, work performances not only as human species.
However, current demographic trends imply that Romania will need to rely not only on well-educated younger generations but also on older workers – it is imperative to increase the labor-market participation of older people overall employment levels. The integration/ re-integration of these groups into the labor force will entail providing them with the skills and competencies they need to participate in a fast-developing knowledge-based economy. Moreover, all adults engaged in labor field will need to up-date their skills and qualifications throughout life for continuing personal and professional development.
Furthermore, young people who leave education without recognized qualifications are at a disadvantage in the labor market. Moreover, certain groups of early school leavers are likely to experience greater disadvantage than others, in particular those who leave the system before completion of primary education.
Adults learn better in a non-competitive environment where they can work together with others and where they are in control of their learning processes. They are more motivated when they acquire knowledge and skills in a situation where their self-respect is not at risk. The learning climate is important; age and life experience are aspects that should be taken in consideration when developing learning environments.
References
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