CESI welcomes Council conclusions on enhanced mobility of teachers and trainers

The conclusions, as adopted by the national education ministers, call on the Member States to

• foster opportunities for European mobility of teachers and trainers, for example by removing existing barriers, offering organisational and financial support, sharing solutions with regard to arranging substitute teachers and trainers, and promoting mobility programmes;
  
• integrate mobility in teacher and trainer education and training systems for both initial and in–service education and training and promote the use of training modules that are relevant and focused on Europe within this education and training; and
• facilitate the formal recognition of outcomes of mobility periods.
  

The conclusions also ask the European Commissin to

• promote opportunities for teachers’ and trainers’ mobility through the Erasmus+ programme;
  
• explore the possibility of developing a policy framework at European level for increasing the number and quality of learning mobility opportunities for both prospective and practising teachers and trainers in Europe based on their actual mobility needs; and
• promote the automatic mutual recognition of qualifications, and in particular of mobility periods abroad in teacher and trainer education and training.
  

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “Education policy is foremost a national level competence, but the EU has important facilitating and coordinating functions. We appreciate the openness of the Member States in the Council to foster cooperation among each other and with the European Commission to achieve a higher degree mobility of teachers in Europe. If exchange programmes and stays abroad are part of the everyday lives of pupils and students, why should it not be for teachers? Their careers and their teaching would definitely benefit. I call on the Member States and the European Commission to put the suggestions of the Council’s conclusions into practice.”