Newsletter - December 2011
2012-01-12 | admin
Contents
Recent meetings organised or attended by EFEE
- Social Dialogue working group on evaluation and demographics
- Leadership and Governance Schools
- Social Dialogue plenary and EFEE General Assembly
- Third party Violence
- CEEP project – Changes in Public Services
- Working Time Directive – shadow negotiating group
- ETUCE project on work related stress
EFEE response: Professional Qualification Directive
ETUCE project on ICT in education
Work emanating from the European institutions
Introduction
It has been a long time since the last newsletter, and there is much to report. Equally, with it being the end of the year it is also an opportunity for us to look into what 2012 has to offer. You should therefore make a note of the following dates:
- Friday 13th January Advisory Committee Prevention of third party violence and harassment at schools
- Thursday and Friday 16th-17th February: final conference "changes in public services, Brussels
- Wednesday 7th March : General Assembly and Executive Committee of EFEE
- Thursday 15th March: WG3 (Higher Education)
- Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th March, Advisory Committee Recruitment and Retention project (EFEE/ETUCE)
- Friday 29th March: Steering Committee
- Thursday 24th May: Steering Committee
- June (date to be confirmed): WG 1 (Quality in Education; Selfevaluation of schools and teachers
- Tuesday 26th June: WG3 (Higher Education)
- Tuesday 2nd October: Steering Committee
- Wednesday 7th November : General Assembly and Executive Committee of EFEE
- Thursday 8th November: Plenary Meeting of the Social Dialogue Committee
The EFEE secretariat wishes you all a very happy Christmas, and a very productive new year! Social Dialogue working group on evaluation and
demographics
Social Dialogue working group on evaluation and demographics
The final meetings of the initial work plan between EFEE and ETUCE took place in September. EFEE was again well represented by Members in both the working group on the evaluation of teachers and on demographics.
In the working group on the self evaluation of teachers, presentations were made on national evaluation systems by Bruno Emans (from VORaad, our Dutch member with responsibility for secondary schools), Yiannis Savvides (CY) and Han Laugesen (a Danish member of ETUCE with responsibility for teachers in secondary schools).
Meanwhile the working group on demographics were putting the final touches to their report on recruitment and retention, and laying the foundation for future work which will be lead by ETUCE in a European Commission funded project.
The objective of this work will be to examine the current situation regarding national policies on recruitment and retention in the education sector in order to find a joint approach among social partners. Although ETUCE submitted the funding bid to the European Commission, the steering committee includes both General Secretary Bianka Stege, and Camilla Vendelboe Hagensen the EFEE leading member on this piece of work. In addition EFEE members will be encouraged to attend the two
regional seminars and the findings of the research will be fed back into the working group at its conclusion.
A questionnaire on Recruitment and Retention in schools has been sent out to all EFEE (and ETUCE) Members, deadline 19th December. We will keep you informed on further progress of the project and the exact planning of the two regional seminars.
If you would like further information please contact bianka.stege@educationemployers.eu
Leadership and Governance in schools
The final conference of the European Commission supported, EFEE project on “leadership and governance in schools” was held in Dublin, on 19th October. The conference started with a dinner in the historic constitution room of The Shelbourne hotel which is appropriate for a conference of this nature. Our thanks go to Mr Michael Moriarty and all of his colleagues at IVEA for organising such a wonderful event.
This is the first project of this kind undertaken by EFEE, and was a very successful event, highlighting the benefits of this work to both our existing members but also for organisations who will shortly be joining us. The importance of the subject matter can be best demonstrated by the Irish Minister for Education and Skills Mr Ruari Quinn opening the event and staying for the first half of the morning session. His key messages were that flexibility and devolved autonomy would help leaders in
managing in times of diminished resources and that a knowledge society, as we are hoping to develop in Europe, requires good leadership. Perhaps even more pleasing was his request for EFEE to start working with his team in preparation for when Ireland takes the EU Presidency in 2013.
The conference was an opportunity for us to hear from a number of experts and the leaders of our project. The keynote address was by Ms Virginia O’Mahony (President of the International Confederation of Principals) who gave an excellent presentation about the importance of the subject. Further external perspectives on the subject were given by Agnes Roman from our trade union counterparts ETUCE, Mr Gerry MacRuairc from the University of Dublin and the European Network on Leadership and Mr Seán Cottrell Director of the Irish Primary Principals Network. However, perhaps the most technologically impressive section was the presentation of Beatriz Pont, of the OECD, who joined us via two massive screens on a video link from her offices in Paris.
Mr Joseph Micallef from the Directorate for Educational Services (Malta, and leading member on this project) gave the policy background for us undertaking the project. Mr Jo Scheeren from the Centre of Labour Relations in the Public Sector (NL) gave the analysis of the research that has been undertaken this year. There was also an exchange of practices from a number of EFEE members including Mr Sjoerd Slagter (NL), Ms Riika-Maria Yli-Suomu (SF) and Mr Pat O’Mahony (IE). It is not surprising
that systems vary from one extreme to the other in terms of centralisation, autonomy, background of leaders and legal requirements. However, one size certainly does not fit all but this research gives a point of common understanding and was fundamental in shaping the debate.
At the end of the day there was an open discussion about the research and the project. This discussion will shape the final report. There were a number of participants from countries not currently in membership of EFEE, and their perspective along with all of our members who also contributed at length throughout the day will mean that our output will add a new perspective to this very important issue for the sector.
The full title of the project is “leadership and governance in schools as instruments for improving student results and preparing them for lifelong learning”. Of course there are many other factors that go to impact on both student results and preparing for lifelong learning and some of these could be competing against each other such as high stakes testing which may be more related to passing exams (i.e. improved school results) than for lifelong learning. However, Bianka Stege (General Secretary) summed up some of the key thoughts of the day, stating that leadership needs to strike a balance between accountability and workload: governance should
provide a clear role for a school leader which will help to manage this balance. We should be continuing to invest in our leaders (both present and future) and there is scope for more self-evaluation which could also help to manage the issue of accountability and workload. The final report will be ready for dissemination early in 2012, and it promises to be a very interesting read for both our members and wider policy makers alike.
If you would like further information please contact bianka.stege@educationemployers.eu
Social Dialogue plenary & EFEE General Assembly
October’s Plenary meeting for the social dialogue was preceded as always by our own General Assembly. We had a number of important issues to discuss, not least to introduce some new faces (Loizos Solomou (CY) and Luud Bochem (NL)) and some new members (Education Ministry in Bulgaria, Higher Education employer organisations from Finland and Sweden and VET employers from the Netherlands).
From a functional point of view, the good news is that General Secretary Bianka Stege was offered (and accepted) a new two year term.
However, the main business of the two days was the plenary of the Social Dialogue Committee with ETUCE held on 18th October. The session was opened with a key note speech by George Zissimos who plays a leadingrole in the cabinet of Ms Androulla Vassiliou European Commissioner for Education, Culture Multilingualism and Youth. This speech highlighted the importance of investing for the future through education and also the need to invest in key professionals such as school leaders, teachers and teacher trainers.
The remainder of the session was an opportunity to review the vast amount of work that has taken place in the previous 12 months and set out the plans for the work which will take place in the next 12 months. Much of this is provided in further detail within this newsletter (see sections on the working groups, third party violence and stress). These preliminary discussions were to form the new work programme for 2012/3.
The joint Steering Group was asked to finalise the work programme in the light of these discussions at a meeting on 13 December (with EFEE being represented by our Chair David Simmonds, with the support of Bianka Stege, Michael Moriarty and Charles Nolda).
If you would like further information please contact bianka.stege@educationemployers.eu
Third Party Violence
Another European Commission funded project reaching its conclusion in October was the implementation of the multi-sectoral guidelines on third party violence. This final conference took place in Warsaw (with the help of the Polish member of our trade union counterparts ETUCE), and EFEE was represented by Ghezala Cherifi (BE) as well as colleagues from our Finnish, Swedish and UK members. This event drew on the best examples of good practice from three previous workshops as well as bringing in experts from OSHA (The European Health & Safety observatory).
There were a number of key points raised in the session that are especially important for our sector, and the multi-sectoral approach ensures consistency where possible whilst also realising that each sector has its own special issues. For example it was very interesting to hear the private security sector talk about their increasing role in education services across Europe, whilst it is often the role of the education sector to implement policies which set the expectations of behaviour that
students take into the rest of their life. There are very many more specific issues for the education sector: the inter-relationship between teacher, student and parent, the threat that exists both in the workplace and outside it to name only two.
Third party violence is another area where the social dialogue will continue to focus in 2012, with a joint project lead by ETUCE. Not only does it affect the morale of existing staff but it also affects the reputation of the sector in attracting new staff. There is an economic argument for continuing this focus, even if the moral argument was not strong enough by itself – and whilst it may not be realistic to expect third party violence in the education sector to be zero, the intention is always there and
should an employee suffer violence then the best possible management should be expected. Stephane Vanoirbeck (BE) and Pauliina Tervahartiala (SF) will represent EFEE on the advisory group for this project.
For further information please contact stephen.cooper@educationemployers.eu
CEEP Project – Changes in public services
Charles Nolda represented EFEE at the steering committee for the CEEP led programme “Change in Public Services” in September. The outcome was the topic for a further two online seminars. All of these seminars are open to any EFEE members, and the topics are very relevant to our current work programme.
The first of these seminars took place on 14 November and will concentrate on skills, whilst the second will take place on 16th December will prioritise demographic challenges.
Although the topics are very general, the sessions aim to focus on practice and action. For the skills session this was in the context of organisational and labour market restructuring whereas the session in December will focus on age and inter-generational differences.
The project finishes in a conference on 16-17 February in Brussels at which both Bianka Stege and David Simmonds will be speakers. Two extra places are still available for EFEE members!
If you would like to talk in more detail or please contact charles.nolda@educationemployers.eu
Working Time Directive negotiations
Negotiations on the Working Time Directive between Employers (CEEP representing public employers, Businesseurope representing large private employers and UEAPME representing small and medium sized enterprises) and Trade Unions (ETUC) began on 8th December, with the next meeting scheduled for 10 February 2012.
As this is such an important topic for public employers CEEP have a much larger delegation than in previous social partner negotiations, and they have also set up a shadow group so that all interested parties can follow proceedings more closely. The first meeting of the shadow group took place on the 7th December and there were 16 people there. Countries represented were Germany, Bulgaria, Italy*, Sweden*, Norway, Finland*, Austria, Denmark*, Spain and the UK along with Charles Nolda as the only person representing a sectoral association as opposed to a national section of CEEP (although, at future meetings EFEE’s representative will be Luud Bochem (MBO-Raad, NL)).
These will be very delicate negotiations, and will be done under a strict code of confidentiality. However, we will keep all of our members up to date with the progress made at each stage.
If you have any questions please contact bianka.stege@educationemployers.eu
*The attendees from these countries are from organisations which are members of EFEE as well as representing their countries in their national CEEP sections.
ETUCE project on work related stress
The ETUCE conference on work related stress took place in Berlin on the 17th and 18th of November. Union representatives from across Europe were in attendance along with EFEE members: David Simmons, Charles Nolda, Steve Quinlan (UK ), Ghezala Cherifi, Stephane Vanoirbeck (BE), Joseph Micallef (MT), Christina Papasolomonotos (CY), Dace Ratniece (LV), Pauliina Tervahartiala (SF).
Day 1 - Introductions and three presentations on work related stress (1) Statistical background on work related stress given by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Working and Living Conditions (2) Tackling work related stress from an EU-OSHA perspective (3) Survey results of assessment of the impact of Psychosocial Hazards on Teachers by the Freiburg Research Centre for Occupational and Social Medicine). These were followed by break out sessions, where thoughts were shared between the attendees on the information presented.
Day 2 - Three Presentations on best practice with respect to the management of work related stress were put forward by union attendees. These were followed by Walk and Talk sessions where attendees shared best practice and their experience of managing stress.
Overall the conference was a useful tool for information sharing regarding stress in the teaching profession. However, only one of the presentations gave evidence that there was any significant difference between stress in the teaching profession and the levels of stress in other occupations, this being the “Survey results of assessment of the impact of Psychosocial Hazards on Teachers”. The validity of the information gathered for this particular presentation could not be assessed as no
results were presented on the day for individual countries, although it does appear that the results may not be representative in some countries. An example of this is the UK where it was reported that only 111 teachers took part out of approximately 30,000 schools.
The other two presentations seemed to give information that was more representative and these showed levels of stress in the teaching profession as being upper quartile, as would be expected in such a challenging occupation.
In summing up, mention was made that as per Council Directive (89/391/EEC) employers have a duty to identify workplace hazards and take the necessary measures for the safety and health protection of workers. It would therefore seem appropriate, given the diverse nature of the European Community and the many differing factors that need to be considered when assessing the risks of stress in the workplace, that each country implements this Council Directive as appropriate to its own needs.
Thanks to Steve Quinlan for this article. For further information please contact charles.nolda@educationemployers.eu
EFEE response: Professional Qualifications Directive
The consultation on the existing Directive for professional qualifications was issued by the Internal Markets Directorate General. This was a general public consultation on an issue that is aimed at promoting the mobility of professionals around the EU. This concept is promoted through the mutual recognition of qualifications between Member States.
Naturally, EFEE supports the principle of freedom of movement and therefore this directive. Indeed, we are aware that our workforce is just about the most mobile in Europe. However, the qualifications framework is not the only way to manage this process with education being a national competence, care must be taken to safeguard this whilst in addition employers have their own criteria which they wish to apply in their recruitment processes.
Therefore the EFEE response concentrated on supporting the idea of transparency and reductions in bureaucracy whilst also being cautious about making small changes which have unknown outcomes. In addition, although this is a consultation by DG Internal Markets there is an obvious role for the social partners so some of the specific ideas should be with the full involvement of EFEE and ETUCE. The response also warned that the revision of this directive should not be seen as the sole method for promoting mobility. A more holistic approach is of course required involving social protection systems, the creation of employment opportunities and a coherent approach to issues of language and culture.
EFEE and ETUCE have agreed to monitor developments on this issue together and to make joint responses to the relevant Commission authorities once we have analysed the next proposals (expected to be published before Christmas 2011).
For a full copy of the response please contact charles.nolda@educationemployers.eu
ETUCE project on ICT in education
EFEE is an associate partner in this new project on Information, Computing & Technology (ICT) in education. The research will be carried out by the ETUCE over the next two years, with EFEE members asked to disseminate project postcards in spring 2012. Members will also be invited to share their experience at a workshop in Greece (autumn 2013) before the outcomes are shared at the final conference in Slovakia later in the winter of 2013/14.
The purpose of the project is to identify how ICT and innovative teaching based on ICT can assist in motivating/re-attracting individuals at risk-of exclusion from formal education back to school. The 2.5 year long programme will pay special attention to the rising number of young people in Europe who are leaving school with lower secondary education or earlier, and assess the impact this has in being able to engage in lifelong learning. The project will explore best practices that encourage
digital/transversal competences and investigate the pedagogical support and learning opportunities that are needed to better adapt education to the 21st century knowledge society.
For more information please contact bianka.stege@educationemployers.eu
Eurydice report on teachers’ salaries
Despite salaries being outside of the scope for the social dialogue the Eurydice report on public sector teachers and school heads salaries is a useful one for members to take note of.
The data, based on the 2009/10 school year, covers pre-primary to upper secondary education and takes both salary levels and allowances into account. The best paid teachers in the European Union are in Luxembourg, Denmark and Austria. The least well-paid are in Bulgaria and Romania. Six million teachers are currently employed in the Member States.
The nature of these statistics makes them extremely interesting for EFEE members, especially in relation to the work around demographic change and the recruitment and retention of teachers. Comparative information is available about pay systems including pay progression for teachers and on the age of the workforce through indirect measures of teachers tending to be near the top of their pay structures.
However, in summary in general, teachers in Europe maintained their purchasing power in 2009 and the economic crisis had an impact on their salaries in only a few countries in 2010 (Ireland, Greece, Spain, Latvia and Romania). During the same period, the Netherlands and Poland increased teachers' salaries. More recent and forthcoming austerity measures in many countries may affect teachers' salaries and overall spending on education. Nevertheless, many European governments are placing the education sector at the core of their reform programmes.
The full report [in English] is available: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/tools/salaries.pdf
OECD Report – “education at a glance”
The context of this report highlights the similar positions that countries from around the world find themselves in: shrinking financial budgets are commonplace whilst there is an attempt to make education more effective, efficient and responsive to growing demand.
This report is therefore a useful tool to compare education on a wide variety of performance indicators including the impact of education policies on the wider labour market, as well as the amount that is invested in human resources within the sector.
EFEE will not attempt to précis the whole document, which is over 400 pages in length. However, the document can be accessed here.