European Association for the Education of Adults: The European Commission’s initiatives on key competences, common values and digital education
The European Association for the Education of Adults’s (EAEA) response to the European Commission’s three recently published initiatives appreciates the update of the key competences framework, but criticises the narrow and formal understanding of education of the initiatives on digital education and common values.
The EAEA response addresses the three initiatives published by the European Commission in January:
- A Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning
- A Council Recommendation on common values, inclusive education and the European dimension of teaching
- A Digital Education Action Plan
EAEA appreciates the update of the key competences framework and is pleased that a number of the organisation’s recommendations have been taken on board. EAEA is happy to see that civic competences have been strengthened and that sustainability has become part of the framework.
When it comes to the Council Recommendation on common values and the Action Plan for digital education, EAEA believes that there are several missed opportunities.
“Both documents are based on a very narrow and formal understanding of education and thereby miss the opportunity to link formal, non-formal and informal learning as well as creating more ambitious and holistic strategies that take learners of all ages into account,” the response states.
EAEA calls for the revision of the initiatives and the acknowledgement of the significant role of adult education and learning.
“Adult education has a significant role to play; the evidence for which as well as the good practice across Europe is well documented.”
