#RecogniseStudyAbroad
Raising awareness on the recognition
of the pupils’ study abroad periods
WHY
• The school period spent abroad is not
recognised in many European countries:
often secondary school pupils need to attend
an additional year of school, once back in their
countries.
• About 100.000 pupils from EU are going on
exchange every year, all over the world
(about 10.000 through EFIL and EEE-YFU, 1000
through Comenius in 2008-2013)
• Pupils are increasingly mobile, +7% every
year (worldwide).
HOW
• via a national law that gives full recognition to
the study abroad, with no additional tests to
be undertaken (Austria, Italy)
• via an agreement on the study programme
prior to the student’s departure (Belgium
French speaking, Germany)
• via a system of “credits” acquired during the
period of study abroad (Romania, Turkey,
Spain)
Good reasons to recognise pupils’ study abroad
> Providing equal access to diverse learning
opportunities. Often the only pupils that are
given the opportunity to study abroad are the
ones that are already performing well at school.
This lack of equal access to learning
opportunities is a concern for social inclusion in
education.
> Making the European job market a reality,
also for families. Parents often have to
reconsider professional opportunities in other
countries, since their career abroad may have a
negative impact on the school path of their
children.
> Supporting schools in the process of
internationalisation. With student’s mobility
being promoted in political discourse but study
periods abroad not being officially recognised by
national law, schools are not supported enough
by policy in their internationalisation.
> Improving the implementation of key
competences in school education. The
recognition of the school year abroad implies a
shift from “traditional” content-based curricula
to a competence-based approach, which
recognises “real-world learning”.
The Campaign
EEE-YFU and EFIL, together with KeyCoNet, EUROCLIO,
OBESSU and EPA launched the
Campaign #RecogniseStudyAbroad
to raise awareness among policy-makers and
educational stakeholders
about the lack of recognition of long-term pupil
exchanges.
The steps
• Website www.recognisestudyabroad.eu
• Letter to policy makers, to raise awareness and
provide policy options/ solutions.
• Letter that students and families can use to ask
for recognition in school after the study abroad
period.
• Testimonies of students, parents, and teachers at
https://www.facebook.com/RecogniseStudyAbro
ad/
• Endorsement of the Campaign by policy makers
and civil society
The reaction
MEPs endorsing:
• Ulrike Lunacek, Greens
• Julie Ward, S&D
• Mercedes Bresso, S&D
• Eva Paunova, EPP
• Brando Benifei, S&D
• Milan Zver, EPP
• Krystyna Łybacka, S&D
• Victor Negrescu, S&D
• Bogdan Wenta, EPP
• Youth Intergroup, European Parliament
Civil society endorsing:
• ESN- Erasmus Student Network
• YEU - Youth for Exchange and Understanding
• AEGEE – European Students Forum
• FIMCAP
• And many students!
The next steps
• Get further supporters among policy makers,
at European and national level.
• Work concretely for providing tools for
recognition through the Erasmus+ project
‘INTERCULTURAL TRAINing: Teachers and
Pupils on the Move!’
#RecogniseStudyAbroad
You can contact
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.recognisestudyabroad.eu
https://www.facebook.com/RecogniseStudyAbroad/