Higher Education

AEGEE is the only organization being active in all three fields of higher education: formal, informal and vocational education. It is campaigning for a European higher education area, and the recognition of non-formal education.

AEGEE believes that education can be organised in a way that ensures tolerance and avoids discrimination. Therefore mobility is a basic measure to widen the personal horizon. All activities of AEGEE are tools to provide mobility of European students and a medium of Europe-wide co-operation, and AEGEE has been one of rare organisations that could succeed sustaining such a supranational medium of collaboration. Additionally, AEGEE has been supporting the European Community Programs of Education and Youth by providing a social friendship and help for foreign students at their host universities and by evaluating the programs as a concerned and related NGO formed by students.

AEGEE’s involvement in European Educational programs started in 1986 when the student’s forum initiated the founding of ERASMUS. That time, German and French AEGEE members have wanted to overcome the veto of the two countries presidents. After a meeting with François Mitterrand, the veto was released and ERASMUS could be operated. In 1990, the Erasmus Team was found. Supported by the tremendous efforts of CD member Nikolaus Eberl, the team grew and completed its first projects: Erasmus Academy in Oviedo, September 1991 and the first Erasmus Congress in Geneve in November 1991. During the following years, The Erasmus Team promoted its unique concept and established good relations with ESN (Erasmus Student Network) and EMSA (European Medical Students' Association). On meetings of the EAIE (European Association of International Education) and on two meetings in Holland and France hundreds of university international relations responsible learned about AEGEE and its Erasmus Team projects. With the beginning of 1991, the Erasmus Team of AEGEE was replaced by the Erasmus Working Group. Its members have been organising events on local and European level focusing on educational topics and cared for the realization of its aims by implementing mobility programmes, spreading information among students, lobbying on next authorities such as university professors and administrative staff.

Since then, AEGEE has been actively involved in the effective operation of the programs, ERASMUS, TEMPUS, Youth for Europe and then SOCRATES. AEGEE locals has provided social service and a friendship medium for exchange students; European Board of Directors and Education Working Group, founded in 1994, have been submitting opinions to the European Commission and the public prepared by means of several conferences. AEGEE has been invited to submit its opinions in the European Parliament, and the conferences of UNESCO like the World Conference on Higher Education held in Paris at 5th-9th October 1998. On this latter conference, the association presented a book of opinions and participating in a panel discussion to contribute to the Action Plan for Higher Education in 21st Century.

AEGEE has been acting on the evaluation of the program in the phase of budget revision and on the decision procedure for SOCRATES II and will continue this in future. This is mainly based on the results of the AEGEE "SOCRATES Action Week" (former ”SOCRATES Action Day”) taking place every year in November in more than 50 cities all over Europe with the support of Conference of European Rectors. Results Booklets of the SOCRATES Action Week been distributed to the related national and European institutions and to all locals of AEGEE. In the results book, extensive proposals on effective operation of the program have been pointed out and all aspects of the program like budget, administrative and legal obstacles and inclusion of new countries have been analysed critically.

For AEGEE every European Student should be able to attend the SOCRATES-exchanges. Therefore AEGEE is lobbying to include the countries that are not participating in the project so far. In the General Assembly of AEGEE in autumn 1997 in Ankara, delegates of AEGEE locals coming from all over Europe have adopted a declaration for Turkey's inclusion in SOCRATES program. Indeed, members of AEGEE in Istanbul and Ankara have been working for Turkey's inclusion in the program for more than three years. Activities included meetings with Members of European Parliament, formation of a public awareness within the country and the European level and a hearing in the European Parliament Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media. Finally this aim was achieved by the decision of the European Parliament and the Council on the 15th of December 1999. AEGEE-Istanbul and AEGEE-Ankara are now active for the implementation of the program properly and act as a constructive partner and monitoring organisation. An extensive report called "Socrates and Turkey: European Dimension in Education Co-operation" has recently been published by the two locals. AEGEE will continue this lobbying focusing especially on the Balkan countries. In 1999, AEGEE launched a row of events, fostering co-operation on the educational sector. The first conference held in the European parliament with the title “Education 2020” brought together students and high officials of the institutions, politicians and academics to discuss about the future of higher education.

Two years later, AEGEE focused on the promotion of SOCRATES during its yearplan project Socrates on the Move. In this one year joint venture of ESIB - The National Unions of Students in Europe, AEGEE-Europe and ESN - Erasmus Student Network, supported and conducted in co-operation with European Commission, DG Education and Culture, students were trained during a variety of local events. 50 student Socrates promoters attended a training in Brussels in July 2001 where they were provided with all relevant information regarding the Socrates programme, recognition of studies abroad and other Community programmes relevant to students, such as Tempus and Leonardo by experts coming from the European Commission and other institutions/ organisations relevant in the mobility field and different skills training.

One recent project within AEGEE’s involvement into the field of higher education is Eureca, established in spring 2001. Eureca bases on the idea of making the European dimension of education accessible for a broader public: Current Education Programmes reach only a very limited target group and do mostly not integrate formal and non-formal ways of education. How can formal and informal ways of higher education be integrated? How can the broad public be interested in education? These questions did not only bother AEGEE. By starting the Education Action Week, AEGEE discussed the Educational system among its members, but also among other young people who were asked about their opinions in a survey.

This week was the kick-off for a series of six conferences in different cities in the EU, each focusing on one the six actors that have been identified as the main ones influencing Education: the Academic world, institutions, NGOs, the Media, the Private Sector and the way, the enlargement process influences education.

In 2005, AEGEE is again discussing changes in its educational programme and asks YOU to think about the following questions: How to improve the dissemination of information? How can formal, non-formal and vocational education be interconnected? How can non-formal education be recognized, promoted and made popularly accepted? Your contribution can change not just the organization, as the view back in the past shows: During the last 20 years, AEGEE’s initiative on Erasmus helped students to travel and study in countries all over Europe, its Socrates programme includes students from countries outside the EU. For them, AEGEE’s commitment on the field of education makes a difference.

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Published on: 2005-06-22 (184 reads)