Higher education in "Erasmus for all“: Hopes and fears

Dr. Siegbert Wuttig, DAADBrussels, 27 March 2012

2Dr. Wuttig03/12

1. Current European policy agendas and EU programmes: main achievements and desirable improvements (the ERASMUS example)

2. General remarks on the Erasmus for all proposal and the programme architecture

3. Many hopes, new opportunities and perspectives for higher education institutions

4. Some fears expressed by the HE sector

5. Recommendations to the European Parliament

What I am going to talk about?

3Dr. Wuttig03/12

Selected European policy agendas including higher education

New Transatlantic Agenda Neighbourhood Policy

Eastern Partnership Initiative

Asia-Europa Meeting ASEM

EU-Australia Partnership

Framework

Africa-EU Strategic

Partnership

Neighbourhood Policy

Union for the Mediterranean

EU-Latin America Partnership

Europe 2020 Bologna Process Copenhagen Process

4Dr. Wuttig03/12

EU Higher education programmes - worldwide

NORTH AMERICA•ATLANTIS (EU-USA)•TEP (EU-Canada)•Erasmus Mundus II

EUROPE•ERASMUS•Tempus IV•Erasmus Mundus II

ASIA•Tempus IV•Erasmus Mundus II•EU-Japan/Korea Programme •Vulcanus (Japan)

OCEANIA•EU-Australia/New Zealand Programme •Erasmus Mundus II

•AFRICA / CARRIBEAN / PACIFIC•EDULINK•ACP Science and Technology Programme•Erasmus Mundus II•Intra-ACP Academic Mobility Scheme

NORTH AFRICA / MIDDLE EAST•Tempus IV•Erasmus Mundus II•Intra-ACP Academic Mobility Scheme

LATIN AMERICA•ALFA III•Erasmus Mundus II

5Dr. Wuttig03/12

25 years of ERASMUS: Main achievements

Almost 3.000 participating HEIs

2.5 million mobile students

300,000 mobile staff

Significant impact on individuals, institutions, national education systems and Europe

Worldwide role model for regional mobility and academic cooperation

6Dr. Wuttig03/12

25 years of ERASMUS: Desirable improvements

Geographical coverage

Modernisation of programme measures in the Bologna context

Strategic use of the programme as internationalisation instrument for HEIs

Quality of mobility (e.g. linguisticpreparation, recognition of studyachievements abroad)

Monthly student grants

Simplification of administration

7Dr. Wuttig03/12

Different geographical coverage EHEA: 47 signatory countries

ERASMUS Area: 33 partner countries 1999 (Bologna: 30)Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

2001 (Prague: 33)Croatia, Cyprus, Turkey

2003 (Berlin: 40)Albania, Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Holy See, FYR of Macedonia, Russia, Serbia

2005 (Bergen: 45)Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

2007 (London: 46)Montenegro

2010 (Vienna: 47)Kazakhstan Bologna H.E. Area

Kazakhstan

8Dr. Wuttig03/12

ERASMUS student mobility (studies) and monthly grant in Germany

Average monthly grant

2010

/11

9Dr. Wuttig03/12

Dr. Siegbert Wuttig, DAAD

Erasmus for all (2014 – 2020): The proposal

My credo: It is imperative to keep the sector-specifity and the successful brand names !

The Commission‘s proposal for „Erasmus for all“ contains a number of promising ideas:•Increasing significantly the budget•Simplifying the programme management•Integrating international EU higher education programmes•Supporting intra-European degree mobility at Masters level with EIB loans•Strengthening university-business cooperation.

However, there is also the idea for a radical change of the programme architecture:•Integrating all existing education programmes and abandoning their brand names•Introducing three horizontal action lines instead

10Dr. Wuttig03/12

Youth in Action Programme

Internationalhigher education

Programmes (currentlyErasmus Mundus,

Tempus,Alfa, Edulink)

Grundtvig

Erasmus

Leonardo

Comenius

LifelongLearning

Programme:

A single integrated programmeExisting programmes

The proposed programme architecture

Erasmus for all

1.LearningMobility

3.Policy

support

2.Institutionalco-operation

Budget: 19 billion Euro (+73 % ?)

Change of paradigm: From a sector-specificapproach to an action-oriented approach.

11Dr. Wuttig03/12

More observations on the Commission‘s proposal

1. Programme name: ERASMUS means EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students; Erasmus really for all?

2. Budgets for actions and sectors: for actions ok; no indication for sectors: fixed budgets (80-85%) are imperative for stability and planning security ;

3. Programme administration: simplification for all?; administration is more than managing money; responsibility for national programme administration should lie with the MS;

4. Programme description: too vague and general; many details are unknown so far; the programme is probably better than its description.

12Dr. Wuttig03/12

Higher education in “Erasmus for all”: Hopes

• More opportunities by integrating intra-European and international HE programmes

• Significant programme budget increase (73%) with adequate consideration of higher education

• Priority on learning mobility (63%)

• New perspectives for HE in all 3 horizontal actionlines:

Learning mobility of individuals Partnerships Policy support

13Dr. Wuttig03/12

National Agency for EU Higher Education Cooperation

Impact of ERASMUS for All

Internationalisation and attractiveness of European HEIs ; capacity building

13DAAD: March 2012

Intra-European and global

higher education

policy dialogue

Mobility of individuals

Policy support and measures

Cross-sectorallifelong learning

cooperation

Structural cooperation of

institutions

Employability, European/global

citizenship of students and

university staff

Bridge building with other education

sectors

Higher education in “Erasmus for all”: Hopes

14Dr. Wuttig03/1214

HE in EfA: Opportunities and perspectives

Current programme

Action EfA action line Comment

ERASMUS Mobility of

students (studies/ placements) and

staff

Learning mobility of individuals; intra-European

dimension

Mass credit mobility

(with minimum quality standards)

ERASMUS Mundus

A2: Mobility partnerships (with

regional focus) students/staff

Learning mobility of individuals: international dimension

New: ERASMUS type credit mobility (with regional focus? )

15Dr. Wuttig03/1215

HE in EfA: Opportunities and perspectives

Current programme

Action EfA action line Comment

Erasmus Mundus

A1a: Joint Masters A1b: Joint PhDs

A1a: Learning mobility; international dimension;A1b: moves to Marie-Curie

Elite degree mobility of Masters students; loss of joint PhDs

Learning mobility of Masters students; intra-European dimension

New: Degree mobility of Masters students; loan guarantee facility

16Dr. Wuttig03/1216

HE in EfA: Opportunities and perspectives

Current programme

Action EfA action line Comment

ERASMUS

Centralised actions (curriculum development, UBC); Intensive programmes

Strategic partnerships

No separate actions anymore

Strategic partnerships; Knowledge alliances

New: structural cooperation (incl.

UBC) with focus on quality

17Dr. Wuttig03/1217

HE in EfA: Opportunities and perspectives

Current programme

Action EfA action line Comment

Tempus Higher education reform: institutions and systems (with regional focus)

International HE capacity building

Focus on neighbourhood countries (excl. some Tempus countries)

Alfa, Edulink

Capacity building; regional integration (Latin America, Africa)

International HE capacity building

Focus on neighbourhood countries (what about Asia?)

18Dr. Wuttig03/12

1. Do we lose our visibility and „sense of ownership“ ?

2. Does the change from a sector-specific approach to an action-oriented approach mean more focus on administrative programme aspects?

3. Will we have to compete for funds with other educationsectors?

4. Will there be stability and long-term planning securityfor systemic institutional involvement?

Higher education in “Erasmus for all”: Some fears

19Dr. Wuttig03/12

Possible solution: Combining actions and sectors

3 Action lines ER

ASM

US

CO

MEN

IUS

LEO

NA

RD

O

GR

UN

DTV

IG

YOU

TH IN

A

CTI

ON

New Education Programme

Separate:Sport,

Jean Monnet

20Dr. Wuttig03/12

Dr. Siegbert Wuttig, DAAD

Recommendations (1)

1. Make the programme a real European policy support instrument (e.g. to help implement the quantitative and qualitative goals of the Bologna Process).

2. Propose a significant budget increase for the overall programme to continue proven actions, implement new elements, broaden the geographical scope of the programme (international dimension) and enhance access to the programme (e.g. through better student grants, strict recognition requirements, special funding for people with special needs).

21Dr. Wuttig03/12

Dr. Siegbert Wuttig, DAAD

Recommendations (2)

3. Keep the proposed action lines, add sector-specific windows and maintain the well-established brand names for these windows.

4. Define clear minimum budgets for the different education sectors in the legal text. 80-85% of the total programme budget should be fixed in order to guarantee stability and planning security for the beneficiaries.

5. Make the programme simple, transparent and user-friendly for the beneficiaries and leave the organisation of decentralised programme administration to the Member States.

22Dr. Wuttig03/12

Thank you for listening!

Youth in Action Programme

Internationalhigher education

Programmes

Grundtvig

Erasmus

Leonardo

Comenius

LifelongLearning

Programme:

New educationprogramme

1.LearningMobility

3.Policy

support

2.Partner-

ships