The EU more and more recognises that education is a very important issue and therefore started to tackle also the field of educational policies. With the Lisbon strategy Europe wants to become the strongest knowledge based economy by 2010 and therefore started to tackle the Higher Education reforms. We agree with the European Commission that there are a lot of unsatisfying issues in the European education system; still we are not really satisfied with the ongoing reform, to many problems remain unsolved.

In this context, we young Socialists and Social Democrats have to stress that education should not only serve the labour market but also has to contribute to active citizenship, a more democratic society and freedom and emancipation of the individual. As a consequence we demand free and equal quality education for all. This includes proper public financing of Higher Education Institutions as well as a proper implementation of ongoing processes such as the Bologna process. This implementation is put to the test in many countries where we face different problems jeopardising the quality, free and equal access to higher education. On the other hand the Bologna process is often misused to implement other “reforms”. The most concrete example is the introduction or raise of tuition fees which limit study opportunities for everybody, especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, free and equal access to education does not necessarily guarantee equal opportunities to succeed in education. Despite the huge increase of participation in education systems during the last few decades, it is still painfully clear that people from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds are less present in higher education.

Next to that, liberalisation of education as might happen under the Services Directive or the GATS cannot be accepted. Education has to be a public good and therefore also stay under clear public responsibility.

Free and equal access

Education has to fulfil two basic principles: it has to be free (free of charges) and equally accessible. It’s a proven fact that access barriers like numerous clausus, entrance exams or tuition fees have a socially exclusive effect and hit those the hardest who already have a disadvantaged start because of their social origin and financial background.

Employability AND empowerment

We Recognize the important role higher education has for teaching skills the knowledge society’s labour market demands. Still higher education – in particular within the universities – has to be a tool to empower people, to help them emancipating and to contribute to the society in terms of values and critical contesting of hegemonies.

Quality Education

We demand high quality education for every one. Higher Education Institutions also need to have enough financial means to offer high quality. We especially oppose the current development to establish and publicly finance elite universities or centres of excellence while rendering the „normal“ university in a disastrous financial situation.

Education as a public good

We recognise the fact that one cannot observe education independent form the current economy and the market and that there is a lot of interdependency and mutual influence. Still we do not believe that education should be a tradable good and clearly oppose the ongoing attempt to privatize the former public good education.

We demand to immediately take out education of the Services Directive as well as the GATS.

Stop Brain Drain!

While the EU sees itself as a victim of brain drain, especially towards the USA, it is one of the biggest „brain gainers“ in the world and more and more uses the tool of „strategic immigration“ to gain its competitiveness. This “solutions” to the lack of knowledge produced in Europe leaves a lot of so called „developing countries“ in an even worse situation and makes them more and more dependent on „western“ knowledge and know how.

Student Rights

We truly believe that students are not customers of education but should be equal partners within Higher Education Institutions. Their academic rights as well as their democratic rights have to be improved, student unions as their official representation have to be strengthened.

It’s more than School

We demand an increased support and recognition of non-formal education and vocational training in Europe to enable life long learning and a greater mobility as well as an enhanced transmissibility between different systems of education and training.