Activities of Dace MELBĀRDE related to 2020/2135(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Shaping digital education policy (short presentation)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on shaping digital education policy
Amendments (37)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas inclusive, equitable and adequately funded quality education is the cornerstone of the green and digital transitionsfor individual and societal growth, helping also to accelerate green and digital transitions and promotes sustainable economic development;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas digital technologies are reshaping society, making basic digital skills and digital literacy now essential for all citizenseveryone;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas basic transversal skills such as numeracy and critical thinking are as important as the acquisition of digital skills and competences;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas 432 % of Europeans lackstill lack even the basic digital skills, with significant disparities within and between the Member States and on the basis of socioeconomic status, age, income, education level and employment; whereas the Skills Agenda aims to ensure that 70 % of 16- to 74-year- olds have basic digital skills by 2025; whereas data shows a lack of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and in computing studies, that women are underrepresented in high-tech jobs, and a persistent gender pay gap, an average increase of 2 percentage points per year; whereas to date the percentage of people that have at least basic digital skills has increased by only 3 percentage points in four years, from 55% in 2015 to 58% 2019;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas digital skills should increasingly be seen not only within the context of the labour market, but also for active participation in society and democratic processes;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas embracing digital technologies harbours substantial potential for teachers and learners across education sectors and settings;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas record investments in learning technology companies in recent years has enhanced various e-learning solutions;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas access to high-quality digital infrastructure, resources, content and equipment that is adapted to educational needs is a prerequisite for digital learning; whereas the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden digital transition in education have laid bare the gaps in access across the Unionto distance or on online education have exposed the digital divide within and between the Member States;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the sudden shift to online and distance learning and, in most parts of Europe, to remote emergency education exposed the fact that education systems were generally ill-prepared for this transition; whereas this shift also revealed alarming gaps in the digital skills of teachers, parents and learners and often in their ability to use digital technologies effectively;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the shift to online and, more importantly, distance learning has exacerbated existing inequalities, leaving disadvantaged and vulnerable learners and often learners with disabilities further behind, in certain scenarios increasing drop- out rates across education sectors, and revealing an absence of pastoral and social support in the digital environment; whereas there is an urgent need to improve the quality of online education to improve inclusivity and engagement; whereas advanced quality digital education solutions already exist and need to be further embraced;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas museums, libraries and archives are important and relevant non- formal education settings that work in close collaboration with schools and universities;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic will herald profound changes and may well not be the last pandemic; whereas it would be unforgivable not to be properly prepared to deliver full-scale quality digital education for all in the event of a potential second wavehas increased the necessity to deliver full-scale quality digital education for all; whereas the EU has lagged behind in embracing and adopting the already existing digital solutions for education;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas the hybrid model of education combining in-person learning with distance and online learning will remain well after Covid-19 and offers a range of benefits;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the updated Digital Education Action Plan as a further step towards a more comprehensive digital skills and education strategy; believes that the plan will have been a success if, by its completion, digital education is considered a significanttruly becomes a part of education policy and has delivered clear, consistent and positive results in terms of access, equity and quality across the Union; acknowledges the different starting points of Member States and urges against one-size-fits-all strategies;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Commends the decision to align the plan with the multiannual financial framework (MFF), as this allows for a longer-term perspective and ties it in with the relevant funding instruments; underlines the importance of the plan in delivering thstriving to contribute towards the creation of a genuine European Education Area;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes, however, that delivering the plan effectively also depends on coordination across a broad range of programmes; calls on the Commission to ensure effective synergies between these programmes;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points to the importance of the ‘Connect’ and ‘Reskill and upskill’ flagship investment priorities in the Recovery and Resilience Facility for driving the digital education agenda; calls for 10 % of the facility’s funding to be allocated to education and encourages therelevant Member States to increase their digital education funding;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines the value of pilot projects and preparatory actions initiated by Parliament in ensuring more Union- wide cooperation to tackle the educational gaps between Member States, regions and rural and urban areas; calls for consideration to be given to their mainstreaming into programmes;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the Commission’s scheduled mid-term review of the plan and its intention to ramp up data collection; reiterates the need for a clear implementation timetable; remains convinced that the plan needs a clearer governance and coordination structure, in which Parliament should be involved, to monitor developments and performance on an ongoing basis; calls on the Commission, therefore, to establish a forum bringing together the Member States, Parliament and other relevant stakeholders and experts; urges the Commission to better integrate digital education into the European Semester exercise;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the Digital Education Hubs as a first step towards a co-creation process involving key stakeholders; calls on the Commission to supervisewhilst respecting the principle of subsidiarity to supervise where necessary implementation at national level and ensure fair representation and independence within the hubs; calls on the Commission to fully involve Parliament in creating European and national hubs and in nominating relevant stakeholders;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Deplores the persistent digital divide in the Union; regrets the fact that in some Member States, like Romania, efforts to provide access to quality digital education have failed, leaving more than 30 % of pupils without access to education for several months; shares the Commission’s analysis that fast and reliable internet and quality digital equipment in educational establishments, non-formal settingnotes the Commission’s analysis that fast and reliable internet and quality digital equipment in educational establishments, non-formal settings and at home are among the prerequisites for effective digital education; notes, however, that certain Member States thanks to dedicated public investments are far ahead in their development and use of digital solutions for education; believes that public-private partnerships cand the home are prerequisites for effective speed up the pace of developing and adopting digital education solutions;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Insists that broadband should be considered a public good and be universally accessible and affordable as a critical step in closing the digital divide; calls for specific measures to enhance access for remote, rural and mountain areas with low connectivity and limited access to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, blockchain, new educational devices or gamification, in the light of their growing importance and potential; calls for a new initiative on AI and robotics for education;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Calls for a new initiative on AI and robotics for education; notes that AI- based applications in education are facilitating progress in various disciplines such as language learning and maths;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the plan’s focus on supporting school and university connectivity through the Connecting Europe Facility and efforts to publicise EU funding opportunities; calls on the Commission to work closely with Member States, local authorities and relevant stakeholders to ensure that EU support dovetails with national schemes, in particular to support disadvantaged groups; calls on the Commission to target support at other educational and community establishments besides schools;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Highlights the positive role AI can play in fostering equity and quality in education for all stakeholders, including by easing of the workload of educational staff and making educational content more engaging and customised for students' needs; is concerned about the fact that public investment in AI in the Union has been vastly lagging behind that of other major economies; calls for increased focus on public investment in AI;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Notes that AI-enabled personalised learning experiences can not only help increase students' motivation and help them reach their full potential, but also help reduce drop-out rates; further notes that AI can increasingly help teachers improve their effectiveness thanks to an increased understanding of the students' learning methods and styles, by helping to identify learning difficulties and by better assessing the individual progress achieved;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10 c. Is deeply concerned about insufficient AI-specific higher education programmes in the EU as well as a lack of AI researchers pursuing an academic career in EU-based universities; is of the view that in order to remain competitive, the EU needs to foster and retain a large pool of digital talent with advanced digital skills;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10 d. Calls for dedicated initiatives to increase the awareness and understanding of both the opportunities and limitations of AI in educational settings;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 e (new)
Paragraph 10 e (new)
10 e. Believes that embracing digital technologies has to go hand-in-hand with modernising existing curricula and learning and teaching methods; stresses in this regard the importance of providing teachers with digital learning opportunities;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Insists that greater attention be devoted to teacher training as the plan is rolled out so as to ensure that teachers not only possess digital skills, but can also teach them; calls for a pan-Union initiative to develop new pedagogical methods for the digitaland assessment methods for educators and learners to succeed in the digital environment, recognising specific digital challenges such as asynchronous learning and the importance of fostering critical engagement with digital content in today's passive online environment; underlines the increasingly important role played by parents and tutors in distance learning and calls for them to be given special training and support mechanisms;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Underlines the challenge of cyberthreats, cyberbullying, data and privacy protection, dangerous online games and disinformation in the digital environment; warmly welcomes, therefore, the increased focus on digital and information literacy in the revised plan; looks forward to the swift adoption of the Media Action Plan and the guidelines for teachers and educational staff; calls on the Commission to be more ambitious and to launchwork with local stakeholders, including media organisations. and work out tailored large-scale digital literacy campaigns suitable for local audiences;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines the need to enhance digital resources and tools at Union level to open up lifelong learning opportunities and to enable full and quality access to university and post- universityhigher education courses and materials; calls on the Commission to create an Online European University withserving as a platform for distance and online education content available across Europe;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Highlights the importance of cultural institutions as key providers of digital resources and the need to address issues ensuring the quality, reusability and interoperability of those resources;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recalls that special attention should be paid to digital proficiency and accessibility to digital education as well as quality and, where applicable, tailored educational content for lower- skilled adults, persons with disabilities, persons from vulnerable groups and older people; points out that in 2018, just 4.3 % of low- skilled adults used any form of adult learning;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Deplores, therefore, the continued absence of measures targetingfor lower- skilled adult learners and older people; stresses that this omission undermines the essential lifelong learning dimension of digital education and hampers efforts to ensure that everyone has essential life skills; calls on the Commission, therefore, to work with regional and local authorities to put further measures in place to ensure that these population groups can truly benefit from and help shape the digital transition;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Stresses that in order to promote inclusion and active citizenship, promotion of digital skills learning should be focused on all demographics, not only those in the working age;