Activities of Martina MICHELS related to 2022/2149(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the system of European Schools: state of play, challenges and perspectives
Amendments (37)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Schools System (ESS) is a unique system that has demonstrated its strengths and qualities since its creation in the 1950s, as shown, for example, by the recognition of the European Baccalaureate in all Member States and the continuous growth in the number of Accredited European Schools (AES); whereas every EU citizen should have the opportunity to benefit from such an education; however, this is currently ruled out for reasons of capacity and a lack of cooperation with primarily language-oriented school types in the member states;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Schools System (ESS) is a unique system that has demonstrated its strengths and qualities since its creation in the 1950s, as shown, for example, by the recognition of the European Baccalaureate in all Member States and the continuous growth in the number of Accredited European Schools (AES); whereas every EU citizen should have the opportunity to benefit from such an education for free;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the governance structure of the ESS has the advantage of maintaining a direct link with the Member States, but requires reform given its clear limitations in terms of decision-making and change management to establish a permanent cooperation and an exchange with schools in the member states structurally;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the Commission plays an important role in the ESS and the scope thereof needs to be broadened, on the achievement of overarching educational goals in the sense of inclusive learning and the promotion of schools as places of learning for democracy, given that its involvement is currently limited to human resources and budgetary matters, leaving the equally important educational aspects out of the equation;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the Commission plays an important role in the ESS and the scope thereof needs to be broadened, given that its involvement is currently limited to human resources and budgetary matters, without thereby undermining the autonomy of teaching, leaving the equally important educational aspects out of the equation;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the current system of teacher recruitment in the ESS has serious shortcomings, resulting in a mismatch between the needs on the ground and the actual staff seconded by the Member States, issues with yearly recruitment plans and precarious working conditions for locally recruited teachers, teacher shortages should be covered without further delays;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the current system of teacher recruitment in the ESS has serious shortcomings - starting with unequal pay - , resulting in a mismatch between the needs on the ground and the actual staff seconded by the Member States, issues with yearly recruitment plans and precarious working conditions for locally recruited teachers;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the lack of accountability of host countries, which are responsible for providing and maintaining school buildings, has led to serious issues, especially in Brussels; whereas these issues have had profound repercussions on the standard of education and organisational aspects, as well as on the safety, security and well-being of students and staff alike, accountability should be very clear for every school and every aspect oft it in any host country;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas the ESS should focus on the diversity and tolerance and should be equally accessible for all;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
H b. whereas printed books play a powerful role in fighting digital exclusion and should remain a part of the ESS and ACS curricula;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the need for a critical, in- depth assessment of all aspects of the ESS, and for reform to future-proof the system and ensure that it serves as a pedagogical model for the exchange of good practices across educational systems;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the European Schools’ Board of Governors (BoG) to update the mission, principles and objectives of the ESS in the form of a new ‘ESS Charter’, to be introduced by the end of 2024, that isfocusing and adding issues that have to do with European identity, inclusivity, availability and accessibility, that are fit for the 21st century and provides a reinvigorating vision for the system and realistic objectives against which it can be assessed;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to assess the role of the ESS in the establishment of the EEA, which is inclusive and accessible to all, including with regard to language learning and a strong European dimension of learning, and in the automatic mutual recognition of diplomas across the EU, based on the established model of the European Baccalaureate; expresses its explicit wish that the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture be strongly involved in the Commission’s dealings with the ESS;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls for the introduction of a third language at an earlier age;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Calls for the introduction of reading and writing in a second language from the 1st grade;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Demands that all EU MS as well as their universities recognise the ESS European Baccalaureate;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to perform an in-depth review, by the end of 2024, of the governance and management structures across the EES and at each individual school in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary-General of the European Schools (OSG) and the Member States, and for this review to examine the roles and structures in place at all levels and assess the independence of functions and potential conflicts of interest, requests that ESS have more autonomy on how to apply pedagogy;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Insists on the need to streamline and increase the flexibility of the BoG’s decision-making and action, including through an alternative voting system, to enable the BoG to better respond to the needs of schools; calls for clear responsibilities, annual performance appraisals, and training and development plans for all senior and middle management staff, including structured induction, at central and school levels;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Requests that the Member States meet their obligations vis-à-vis the ESS in full, particularly with regard to the secondment and equal pay of qualified teachers and the provision of adequate infrastructure (suitable premises, maintenance thereof and upgrades thereto), and calls for a binding system of direct financial contributions to ensure greater flexibility for both the ESS and the Member States;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Requests a significant raise of funding for ESS;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for a dedicated task force to be established by mid-2025, composed of representatives of all budgetary contributors to the ESS and involving relevant pedagogical experts from the OSG, the Commission and the Member States, with a mandate to make concrete suggestions to resolve critical resourcing issues with adequate permanent funding and develop a comprehensive and sustainable cost-sharing model that will allow the ESS to fulfil its mission in line with the new ‘ESS Charter’;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the BoG to resolve ongoing teacher shortages and ensure a stable and fair employment situation for all by retaining staff and reducing turnover, thereby avoiding a brain drain; calls, in this regard, for a strengthened employment package for seconded and locally recruited staff alike, with competitive and equal remuneration at place of secondment contract, more equal salaries for nursery, primary and secondary teachers, clarity about employment status and stability, continuous professional development (CPD) and further career prospects in and beyond the ESS;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls for a degree of autonomy in teaching methods, the immediate selection of material and pedagogical concepts to be ensured for teachers and schools alike, for additional middle management posts focused on high-quality teaching methodologies and curricula to be introduced at schools, and for all recruitment procedures to be more transparent and open; calls, furthermore, for an urgent review of the enrolment arrangements and school fees, and for the full potential of the AES to be exploited, including to address overcrowding;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls for a degree of autonomy to be ensured for teachers and schools alike, for additional middle management posts focused on support for high-quality teaching methodologies and curricula to be introduced at schools, and for all recruitment procedures to be more transparent and open; calls, furthermore, for an urgent review of the enrolment arrangements and school fees, and for the full potential of the AES to be exploited, including to address overcrowding;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Calls on the BoG and the OSG to focus the emphasis of younger pupils especially not on maths, reading or writing but creative play; the main aim of early years education is not explicitly "education" in the formal sende but the promotion of the health and wellbeing of every child; emphasis should be given on the "joy of learning", language enrichment, communication and physical activity;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Calls on the BoG and the OSG to develop a system more focused on cooperation not competition, not on standardised testing;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for ESS teachers to become trainers and mentors in national systems and emphasises the role that should be played by the ESS in establishing a European teachers’ module, on a voluntary basis, to be included in the initial training of teachers across the EU;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Requests the BoG and the OSG to boost inclusion and improve educational opportunities for all students, with a focus on reduction of class size and better catering for students with particular educational needs, including by considerably increasing the number of educational and psychological support staff in place and the provision of orientation and mentorship services;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Request the BoG and the OSG to boost equal and positive learning opportunities and secure well-being for all children, with more collaboration with teachers and their union representatives, as well as early and regular intervention for children with disabilities;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Insists on the need to deliver a high-quality educational experience for all students, including those without a language section (SWALS); calls for an update of existing curricula with a view to further strengthening the European dimension, through active communication of European history, experiences of democracy and cultural diversity including through the teaching of history and citizenship education, as well as an increase in the number of ‘European Hours’ at all educational levels, with a focus on the importance of European values and digital and green skills;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Insists on the need to deliver a high-quality educational experience for all students, starting from the fact that they should not be overcrowded, including those without a language section (SWALS); calls for an update of existing curricula with a view to further strengthening the European dimension, including through the teaching of history and citizenship education, as well as an increase in the number of ‘European Hours’ at all educational levels, with a focus on the importance of European values and digital and green skills;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Insists on the need to deliver a high-quality educational experience for all students, including those without a language section (SWALS); calls for an update of existing curricula with a view to further strengthening the European dimension, including through the teaching of history and citizenship education, as well as an increase in the number of ‘European Hours’ at all educational levels, with a focus on the importance of European values and digital and greenecological, social and digital skills;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Insists on the need to deliver a high-quality educational experience for all students, including those without a language section (SWALS); calls for an update of existing curricula with a view to further strengthening thea cosmopolitan European dimension, including through the teaching of history and citizenship education, as well as an increase in the number of ‘European Hours’ at all educational levels, with a focus on the importance of European values and digital and green skills;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls for the establishment of a formal ESS alumni community and the collection of data on students’ paths after graduation, on a voluntary basis;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Suggests the creation of an annual celebratory event to share pedagogical best practice, pool knowledge among schools, teachers and students and showcase their work and projects to the broader system, with national education representatives being invited in order to raise awareness of the ESS and to experience it as an inclusives school model;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls for an independent, external expert body to explore and propose alternative governance models, including a review of the Convention defining the Statute of the European Schools and the possibility of replacing the schools’ intergovernmental legal status with a supranational European model - that accessibility and inclusivity are exemplary and secured, that the autonomy of teaching is promoted. that it is financially sustainable and transparent, that all teachers and educators are paid equally and that there is a structured exchange with schools in the member states;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls for an independent, external expert body to explore and propose alternative governance models, including a review of the Convention defining the Statute of the European Schools and the possibility of replacing the schools’ intergovernmental legal status with a supranational European model who will not interfere with the pedagogical aspect;