On 14 June, EFEE organised together with the European Trade Committee for Education (ETUCE), the kick-off webinar of the project entitled “European Sectoral Social Partners in Education promoting quality of academic teaching and management”. Among the highlights of the webinar, Andreas Keller (GEW/ ETUCE vice-president) gave a short presentation on the importance of the Rome Ministerial Conference to the social partners in education. As a member of the teaching and learning Bologna Follow-up group, Mr Keller introduced attendees to the policy context in which the project finds itself in. The main outcome of the Rome Ministerial Conference 2020, namely the Rome Ministerial Communiqué adopted on 19 November 2020 entails three annexes, among other the recommendation for the enhancement of learning and teaching (Annex III) on which this project grounds.

Following Mr Kelller’s presentation, Yiannis Savvides Ministry of Education and Culture, Sport and Youth, Cyprus) provided attendees with a Cypriot perspective on promoting academic teaching and management. Mr Savvides pointed to the divergence between goals of the Rome Communiqué and the actual implementation of these goals in Member States, given a lack of commitment amongst stakeholders. Hereafter, the elected external expert, Dr. Howard Stevenson (University of Nottingham), provided attendees with an overview of development in the higher education sector.

The kick-off webinar further led to a discussion in parallel Working Groups on the core question of the project, namely “How can social partners in education promote quality of academic teaching and management?”. Working Group I, in particular, focused on trends of organizational development in higher education, Working Group II, on the attractiveness of the profession and professional development of staff and within Working Group III discussion was centred around working conditions and supportive working environments. Heikki Holopainen (FEE, FI) Chair of EFEE Working Group on Higher and Rob Copeland (UCU, DE), both closed the kick-off webinar, acknowledging the importance of the recognition of the teaching profession and the need to support the role of teacher and highlighting the need for a centered student’s approach in policy shaping.

For more details, please contact isaline.ossieur@educationemployers.eu