EU education ministers met in Brussels – with Artificial Intelligence on the agenda and a historical joint meeting with finance ministers.
Education ministers and finance ministers held a public debate about effectiveness, efficiency and quality in education and training in the morning of the 8 November. It was the first time that a meeting took place in this setting, a fact which was very much welcomed by the participants. There was a broad consensus among the ministers that education and training are of strategic relevance for the EU’s future, and that investments in this sector, including adult and lifelong learning, are the best way to foster growth, promote equality and social inclusion. Based on a Finnish presidency discussion paper, the ministers also identified current challenges such as skills and teacher shortages, the rapid digital and social transformation and the huge demand for vocational training.
In the following education-ministers-only meeting, ministers adopted conclusions on the key role of lifelong learning policies in addressing the technological and green transition in support of inclusive and sustainable growth. Further, a resolution on further developing the European Education Area was adopted with the aim to support future-oriented education and training systems. It invites the Commission and member states to further develop the European Universities Initiative, among others through awareness raising and participation encouragement, and to promote the development of digital skills and entrepreneurial mind-set in education and training.
Based on a presidency discussion paper, ministers of education also held a debate on artificial intelligence (AI) in education and training. Agreeing on its great impact on education and training systems, possible steps in relation to AI’s increasing influence were identified. They encompass the need to integrate AI in educational systems and training, introduce coding in early school years and promote interdisciplinary studies to better understand AI’s functioning and its interaction with people. However, education ministers emphasised the importance of data protection and ethics in relation to extensive AI usage, and the need for measures to avoid misuse.
Last, the incoming Croatian presidency presented its education work programme. Priorities thereof encompass the further developing of the European Education Area through European Universities and the European Semester, the post-2020 strategic framework for cooperation in education and training and a balanced mobility and liberty of talents.