During the European Parliament’s plenary debate in Strasbourg on International Education Day and the fight against inequalities in access to education, PiS MEP Anna Zalewska emphasized the need for a thorough assessment of the state of education in the European Union’s member states.
“International Day of Education should be a time for in-depth reflection and for presenting an accurate assessment of the situation in individual member states. Education remains the domain of nation-states, and they are the ones responsible for it,” the MEP noted.
Anna Zalewska pointed out that the European debate lacks comprehensive information on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-term consequences of remote learning, and the challenges arising from the war on the European Union’s eastern border. She also emphasized that education systems are facing a new situation related to the influx of migrants into member states.
“We need to know what actually happened in schools after the pandemic, how remote learning affected students’ educational attainment and skills, what the effects of the war are, and how education systems are coping with new social challenges. Without this knowledge, we are unable to develop effective solutions,” she stressed.
The PiS MEP noted that the state of education directly impacts the health of the European economy. In her view, the European Union’s current economic situation requires decisive action in the areas of workforce training and skills development.
“The state of education is the state of the European economy. If we do not prepare a well-qualified workforce and do not make use of the best solutions developed in individual member states, we will not win the competition with Asia or the United States,” Anna Zalewska noted.
The MEP called for greater respect for Member States’ competencies in the field of education and for the exchange of best practices, rather than attempts to centralize and standardize education systems at the European Union level.
