This report by Gabriele Marconi reviews higher education in Europe and makes some policy recommendations. It is based on the discussions at a meeting held in June 2010 in Brussels. The participants were experts in higher education. The goal of the meeting was to draft and sign a manifesto with the objective of influencing European and national policies on higher education.
It is important, John Panaretos, current Minister for Education in Greece, pointed out at the meeting, to give specific policy recommendations, in order “for this [meeting] not to be just another meeting on higher education”. Some of them were:
- Re-designing curricula is a fundamental part of reforming higher education. Universities have to be not only free to do so, but also remunerated for doing so.
- European higher education institutions should become more diverse, in order to respond to all the different challenges that they are faced with.
- It is important to work on creativity development and skills training at earlier educational levels.
- European institutions and universities should spend resources and efforts to make higher education more international.
- The higher education sector should work closely with the private sector, and it should be able to combine productively some of the attitudes typical of the private sector with academic culture.
- The political task to find the right balance between private and public funding depends partly on the social and economic context, and has to be left to individual countries.
- Whatever the source, investment in higher education is necessary. Also, it is necessary to find a way to allocate funding according to education and research potential and needs.
- Governments have to hold back from direct control over higher education, and at the same time establish effective and independent boards to ensure accountability.
Download the full report here
