Importance of lifelong e-learning merits new programme - Reding
The importance of e-learning for European citizens both at home and at work means a new proposal for e-learning will be put to the Education Council before the end of the year, according to Education and Culture Commissioner Viviane Reding. Speaking to the British chamber of commerce in Belgium on 13 June, Ms Reding claimed that the role of lifelong learning and e-learning in creating the knowledge society means they deserve special attention. Both the Lisbon summit in 2000 and the Barcelona summit this year emphasised the growing importance of knowledge 'as the key differentiator for competitive advantage in a modern economy,' she said. The role of ICT (information communication technologies) in helping to facilitate this knowledge is crucial and will play a key role in modernising Europe's educational infrastructure. Ensuring the youth of today are equipped with the necessary skills will be essential in providing tomorrow's workforce. 'Recent studies have shown that employers are increasingly looking for these higher order competencies when they recruit new staff,' said Ms Reding. The best way of providing the infrastructure for e-learning is through public-private partnerships, which has already led to the launch of the eLearning Industry Group. It is now looking to expand its membership. But it is also important to learn lessons from early mistakes made in e-learning. Isolation of the learner through lack of support or interaction led to the failure of many early efforts. 'However, learning is a social process which requires engagement of the learner with the learning material, and interaction between the learner and the teacher, and between the learners themselves,' said Ms Reding. There is now a recognition that e-learning needs to complement rather than replace traditional teaching, and that teachers, broadcasters and publishers have a key role to play in providing the right content and the right methods of teaching. The Commission, which is already involved in some e-learning initiatives through its support of several pilot projects, will focus on at least two areas in its forthcoming programme. Firstly, virtual campuses and virtual mobility for students and secondly, giving every pupil the opportunity to experience working with other pupils at a distance on a common educational project over the Internet. Making sure that European citizens have the ability to learn, not just about and with new technologies, but also on an ongoing basis, is key to Europe's development. 'Lifelong learning is clearly an essential enabler for the knowledge society, just as important, if not more important, than the technological infrastructure,' said Ms Reding.