Education systems in Europe: a comparison

Giovanna Truda
Researcher of Sociology
gtruda@unisa.it +39 89962292-2290

University of Salerno, Via Ponte don Melillo, 1 I- 84084, Fisciano (SA)

Summary:
Educational processes strongly affect mental development. Thus, educational syst
ems play
a major role in the identity and personality construction. The proposal of compa
ring EU
educational system allows to individualize similarities and differences between
countries.
Besides, it makes possible to plan a common educational action, aimed to coordin
ate edu-
cational models in order to build a citizenship based on shared values.

Riassunto:
I processi educativi istituzionalizzati esercitano considerevoli consequenze sul
lo sviluppo
delle persone. La cittadinanza europea è resa possible soprattutto dall azione eserc
itata dal
sistema educativo sulla costruzione dell identità e della personalità degli individui.
A
questo scopo è necessario un progetto di azione educativa capace di incidere sui m
odelli
coordinati di formazione per costruire una cittadinanza riconoscibile attraverso
valori
condivisi.

Keywords: educational systems, Europa, identity, educational action

Parole Chiave: sistemi educativi, Europa, identità, azione educativa
Introduction

Education systems perform an essential and indispensable instrument in the const

ruction of identity and
personality of individuals and therefore they play a vital role in making possib
le an European citizenship,
understood as a unit of a multiplicity. The comparison of educational systems of
European Union different
countries was born by awareness that the institutionalized educational process h
as considerable conse-
quences on our mind development. So, analyzing the differences between education
systems we can have
the opportunity to cast a clutch of dialogue and seize the opportunity for a res
earch and a project on educa-
tion. The main aim of this project will reflect the possibility of modelled coor
dinated training between Euro-
pean Union countries. That argument was central in the debate of the Internation
al Meeting "Comparison be-
tween education systems", Fisciano (Italy), on 15th and 16th of May 2008. Organi
zers have invited elected offi-
cials, educators and teachers to compare and debate this subject. From the exper
ience gained in various
European Union countries it is possible to register other formulas and organizat
ions in education systems.
The debate should consist in two contexts on which we can build a comparison: an
organization, also admin-
istrative, of educational system problems that they face today.

I. The organization of educational system

Regarding the education system organization, we have:

a) Different school laws
b) Pathways are distinct in teachers training
c) Centralization and decentralization of the system.

1. Different school laws

Obligatory education in Europe is not the same in all countries: in Italy it las
ts 11-12 years about, from 6
years to 18 (L. n. 53, 28/03/2003); in France it lasts 10 years about, from 6 to
16 (5 Elementary plus 4 secon-
dary school plus 3). In Germany it lasts 9-10 years about plus 2 or 3 years part
-time. In Italy there are new
laws for obligatory education adopted by DM139 on 22th of August 2007. In France
educational are three lev-
els: primary, elementary, secondary and high school, for each of these we have a
final exam. In primary edu-
cation there is a nursery school from 2 to 6 years, in elementary school we find
children from 6 years to 10.
They have 26 hours a week: four day 6 hours (3 in the morning and in the afterno
on) and half day on Satur-
day. The second level is secondary education: the college from 11 to 15 years an
d finally high school from 15
to 18, but only the first year is obligatory. As regards the high school examina
tion to enter to the university
the third level concerns specializations (303) therefore the university: 2 years
for a General Diploma Univer-
sity, 3 years for the License, 4 years for a "maitrise"; 5 years for a deepen Di
ploma. That lasts: 5 years for engi-
neers, 5 years to teach; 4 years for commercialists. School year begins in Septe
mber and ends in June, for 6
days a week, except Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. Primary cycle classes only
have one teacher for all
disciplines; unlike the second round for each discipline we have different teach
ers.
In Germany there is a central administration. Since 1969 there is the Ministry o
f Education and Science for a
national educational leadership. The head of the ministry and the Conference of
Ministers of Education Land
is the Minister of State. It must ensure consistency between the standards of di
fferent federal states. The pre-
scholastic level (3-5); primary education (6-10, 6-12 in Berlin), secondary educ
ation has two-years period and
then the professional school (5 or 6 years) for the License, the technical schoo
l (4-6 years) and diploma; gym-
nasium (9 years) and maturity. There are still polyvalent schools (9 years) that
can be integrated or coopera-
tive (diploma plus tirocinio), mandatory three weeks in a company. Finally we ha
ve a special school for
young children who are physical or mental disabilities. The University, (76) has
a very complicated proce-
dure for admission: for merit and number, with a general procedure both for a sp
ecial selection and for the
waiting time.
2. The paths are different in teachers training

The EU Commission in 1997 proposed cooperation between Member States to define j

oint actions to improve
the quality of teachers training (EU Consiglio on 15-16 of November 2007). Teach
ers trained for a quality
school should meet social and economic challenges of society global (Lisbona Pro
gramme 2010). We have
two models of initial training in Europe: the integrated and the consecutive. In
the first, we have a practice
reflecting a more theoretical training, in the second, on the contrary, a genera
l training (University) with ac-
cess to professional training. The integrated model is typical of countries like
Germany, Belgium, the Nether-
lands, Denmark, Portugal, Poland, Romaine and Slovakia. It provides for the gene
ral education early races in
several disciplines more vocational training and practice. The consecutive model
is typical of countries like
France, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and the Hungarian people. It
provides a general education
(degree), then a vocational training and qualification of teachers. It exists a
mixed model that is typical of
countries like the UK, Ireland, Malta, Luxemburg, Greece, Austria, Slovenia, Fin
land, Sweden, Iceland,
Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In general in Europe the formative time
of rangelands is longer as
well as the trends of reforms to integrate the practical with the theoretical tr
aining at the University. In
France we can register (1 plus 1 year, 1991), Italy (2 years, 2000), Spain (from
6 months to 18, 2003), Sweden
(from 12 to 18 months, 1988), Norwegian (6 months - 1 years, 1994) and Portugal
(1 year, 1988). The initial
training of teachers in France and Italy, has a national legislation SISS1 (Ital
y) by the University and the
IUFM (France). There is a tight collaboration between school and university tuto
rs. Unlike the initial training
of teachers in the UK and Germany has no national legislation, in fact we have a
decentralized system in
England, Wales, Scottish and Germany it is need by the Länder. There is also colla
boration between univer-
sity and school by the mentor or guardians. In conclusion, in the initial traini
ng of teachers, France, it has a
competition at the end of the first year, the place is assured and they have the
assistance of tutors and train-
ers. In Italy, there is an examination at the end of the second year, the place
is not guaranteed and an unpaid
"tirocinio" is expected in a class.

3. Centralization and decentralization of this system

In Europe the educational system is different: it may be centralized or decentra

lized. The Italian system is
centralized, but since 1997 it was amended, in fact now we have a distribution o
f competence between State
and Regioni. At the central level there is the Ministerial programming departmen
t, the Education Depart-
ment, the University and Research department. In each Region we have the Uffici
Scolastici regionali which
are autonomous and provides consultation and administrative support to schools.
The French school system
is also historically centralized, but since 1982 its school administration is di
vided in regional central which is
formed of the Ministry administration and of three secretaries: for research, sc
hool and university. The cen-
tral provincial administration on contrary deals with management and executive p
ay accounts assigned to
the central level.
A Ministry of Education and Science controls the educational system in Germany s
ince 1969 and indicate the
national education policy, without attacking the autonomy of Länder. In any case,
the Minister of State is the
manager of Standing Conference of Education Ministers of Länder to ensure consiste
ncy between the norma-
tive of all Länder. Since 1978, in Spain there is the Constitution Spanish Educati
on Policy that is based on
Spanish autonomous communities. The Spanish education system is decentralized, t
here is a transfer in the
field of education between State that dictates, is the basic laws of teaching an
d who develops in an autono-
mous way these basic laws through an agreement of functions.

II. Issues and obstacles that education systems face today

Regarding issues that education systems face today we can distinguish a "classic
al", "modern", and old and
new .

1. Classical issues:

a. The education of disabled children and adolescents

1 Nowadays this teachers specialization is going to be modify through a new law
(L. n. 133.2008)
We have different approach in national education systems of different European c
ountries in terms of chil-
dren and adolescents schooling for "special educational needs." The European pol
itical and legal framework
establishes general rules: - The Declaration of Salamanca (UNESCO: 1994) which d
efines the framework and
principles for action; - The Charter of Luxembourg (1996), which sets the framew
ork and principles for prac-
tical action from a program of exchanges and partnerships (Helios II); - Article
13 of the Amsterdam Treaty
(1997), which prohibits any discrimination (against in particular persons with d
isabilities). - Madrid Declara-
tion (2002), which suggests, "School plays the main role in understanding and ac
ceptance concerning the
rights of persons with disabilities". In Europe, there are different educational
policies, concerning children
and adolescent with particular need, that permits them to have a longer time of
scholarization in ordinary
school structures.
Since 1990 there is a paradigm shift: in Italy we have a change in 1971, 1977 an
d in 1992, in 1994 in Denmark
and Germany finally in Spain in 1995. In EU through the European Council resolut
ion there is the creation of
the European agency in Copenhagen. In England: 1996, Portugal: 1997 and France:
2005. In Europe coexist
four main types of policy: enrollment mass in "specialized educational structure
s (example Belgium) coexis-
tence pragmatic school structures specific device integration and flexible metho
ds of education "classes" (ex:
Germany); - proactive step towards very strong "class" schooling: political majo
rity within the EU (ex: Den-
mark versus France in this case); - systematic education "classes" (example almo
st unique to this day: Italy).
The European agency in Copenhagen is divided into: unique approach where schooli
ng in "regular class" is
almost as systematic as in Italy; dual approach where we find the coexistence of
two ways of exclusive
schooling as in Belgium and finally the multiple approach in which one is the pr
agmatic use of all modalities
of schooling as in Germany. So there is seven major trends in Europe: I. Legisla
tive and regulatory changes
to develop the gradual inclusion in ordinary classes; II Promotion, in this cont
ext, educational policies focus-
ing on integrative approaches and, increasingly, inclusive (with sometimes conve
rsion corresponding to in-
stitutions specialized in "resource centers"); III Change the only logical "stat
ic" diagnostic in a more "dy-
namic" one focused on "teaching"; IV Schooling educational projects individualiz
ed or personalized starting
from development of care concerning children and adolescents who has special nee
ds; VI Increasing the
place and role of parents in the education of children and adolescents who has s
pecial educational needs; VII
Assessment of national implemented policies.
b. The matter of foreigners in school

The subject fit in a further transformation as an overload of functions for scho

ol. The high presence of for-
eigners is always more and more diffuse and transverse. We already have Italian,
French, and German sec-
ond-generation. If we make a comparison between Italy and Switzerland we can obs
erve in Italy, up to 2007
foreign population is 3.0 millions, therefore 4.3% of the resident population. T
he 25% are minors. In Switzer-
land during the 2000 there were 1.5 millions; 20% of the resident population, 25
% of individuals are foreign.
It is necessary to verify the skills and knowledge that have already individuate
d and strategies and methods
for learning the language. Important, in this case, is the relationship school -
family. Foreign students (59%),
in Italy, during the years 2005/2006, have already attended the same class in th
eir country. They often attend
a lower class respect to their age. In Switzerland, on the contrary, there are s
eminars with parents (Round
orientation) and a test, they can write a curriculum of the student that could w
ell be included in the scholas-
tic route. An important instrument is the language. It can be an instrument of i
nclusion and exclusion at the
same time. They are needed projects with the involvement of parents using differ
ent methods to enable the
integration of foreign pupils. We have to work on the dynamics between different
levels of school, the stra-
tegic rethink a reception and integration consolidated by the high presence of f
oreigners; predispose forma-
tive and educational instruments that can respond to practical needs.

2. "Modern" issues

The existence and the habit of young people use technology allowed to have an ap
proach in the report-
elected teacher. The new forms of communications that are in the World Youth rep
resent the fundamental
tool between the inner world and the surrounding ambient, therefore an indispens
able tool for the meeting
between silk and others. For some years the traditional agents of socialization
have recognized a significant
crisis. The media seems to be the only reference point to define the legitimacy
situations in the environment.
They have vehicles to change messages and receive information but also to build
social relations and per-
sonal identity. The media, for young people, are essential elements for the worl
d in which they live and they
have their experience. We speak, therefore, media education (for example the use
of Coospace in Hungarian
school) when school uses technology to communicate with and among youth.

3. Old and new issues

a. The relationship between School - Area - Community (territorialized education

al policies)

There are two extreme trends in the relationship between school and community-te
rritory in territorialized
educational policies: global against local. The republican school, the foundatio
n of national sentiment there-
fore education as decentralization must fight against the particularities and th
e environment is considered as
an object of instruction. Is it necessary to relocate education? The opening on
the environment is considered
as a result of a collective will of social actors to transmit and give meaning t
o their identity and that of their
territory, "local knowledge", TK and local knowledge, as stated by the World Ban
k "Local knowledge for de-
velopment". The relationship school - community has different postures: the terr
itory as context and the ter-
ritory as part of educational policies. The territory as context may be a neutra
l one, or to neutralize, that is
something that can isolate, as the weather a set of social located "handicaps" b
ut also a range of opportuni-
ties: culture, environment; the territory as part of educational policies.
The school can be a planner of the territory, it may participate in the moderniz
ation and can occupy the terri-
tory educational policies from the top, we have the effect of centralism, and th
e bottom is local initiative. In
France, we can talk about stigma of rural areas. There are many problems on rout
es for pupils as much as
rural school results and guidance. This situation is an important cause of isola
tion; its main effect is the sup-
posed "cultural deficit". So the rural territory can be considered a stigmatized
territory; it s necessary to open
up and modernize practices to reduce the gap. The hypothesis of "cultural defici
t" is supported by the report
Lebossé who said "Les élèves issus des collèges ruraux se dirigent plus fréquemment vers d
es études courtes
et professionnelles la dimension socioculturelle du rural en est sans doute l'expl
ication majeure. ". "Dans le
rural isolé, la continuité entre les étapes successives du système éducatif est moins bien
appréhendée par les
familles en raison d'un éclatement géographique des différents établissements et d'une d
emande sociale
d'éducation moins forte". We need therefore devices: groupings educational inter c
ommunal (RPI), "équipes
mobiles académiques de liaison et d animation" (EMALA), "réseaux d écoles rurales et de co
llèges". There
are inadequate training practices, the resignation of IUFM "«Enseigner en situatio
n difficile»: un alibi, le re-
jet des jeunes enseignants, la méfiance des communautés".
By conclusion Duhamel s report shows as "les regroupements: «aucune démonstration sérieu
se ni étude va-
lide de permettent de démontrer que la réussite scolaire est meilleure»", "les réseaux :
«il faut oser dire que le
choix d organisation en réseau n a, au mieux, qu une incidence indirecte sur les résultats
scolaires» ". The
Catalonia is a pattern for rural school. A territory recognized trough gradual d
esertification, demographic
resumption and heterogeneous population. Rural school as a model school is an ed
ucational and social con-
text. The principles on which it bases its primacy of education, based on the su
rrounding environment and
nature, the value of the closeness of human relations, education and the predomi
nant role of school. Teams
teachers welded by elective affinity, prior agreement of parents and town halls,
a solid steering and welded
by means used to realize this aim (ZER). The Council of ZER "community" is the a
dvice that has full jurisdic-
tion over education, discipline, the regulator and the evaluation. A school for
sustainable development and
ZER structure manages the territory through the holidays, traditions, histories,
and meetings between vil-
lages, the magazine, and the resources available to the inhabitants. By concludi
ng the relationship territory
and school interrogates education systems, it depends on the degree of centralis
m systems and on the impor-
tance given to the relationship between school and community. In all cases, the
cultural representations of
the territory played a decisive role.

b. The gender differences

Raymond Boudon said that the system of education does not give the impression of
being able to contribute
to the development of individuals, teaching him the reality, however, he must th
ink about the importance of
increasing education as a positive element of Western society. The centrality of
the process of society change
and the centrality of topics such as gender differences that have been at the ce
ntre of debate since the 70 s.
There are resolutions communitarians on equality between girls and boys for educ
ation (85/C166/01) and
Vocational Training (88/A2/68) introduced in school system especially in Italy s
ince the 70 s. This argument
is very complicated. It is not possible to make standards to regulate a problem,
which is not only natural but
also cultural. Basic training is the course for teachers who must conceive, plan
and produce educational
strategies and modalities of attendance in respects of genres. It must work to g
ain awareness of gender iden-
tity and prevent transmission-stereotyped models. We have a lot of assumption. P
rojects can become in-
struments of European education policies. The 2010 Education and the Bologna Pro
cess on national educa-
tion policies made recommendations. They said that an elaboration of a common kn
owledge through the
expertise (commissions, reports, benchmarking) using flying instruments: program
s, actions, projects with
the contribution to the definition of national policies and their coordination t
hrough operational framework
(common goals) and instrumental (cooperation and recovery tools). The project ca
n become a tool of shared
educational policies and a key instrument of policy convergence between educatio
nal community and na-
tional policy. It can be a tool of national governance, supranational (projects
coordination and the political
project), spatial (network project, training plan, draft equipment), local (scho
ol project, educational or voca-
tional community). It may also be a tool for teaching education and training (in
itial, continuing, profes-
sional), individual and collective (student, class, group). And yet it may be a
common value higher interest
on the cross objectives, interdisciplinary, the federation teams and facilities,
accountability and autonomy of
actors. The cultural project as an opportunity is marked by a tension between tw
o approaches coexist, espe-
cially in the field of education, on the one hand a technological approach to ex
pansion (70 years) and the
project as an instrument of progress, according criticism, and on the other hand
, a technological approach to
crisis (80 years) and the project as loss of vision societal, back on the local
alibi. So the project is a double-
sided. There is an overall vision and managerial (the project-oriented organizat
ion) and an individualized
approach (80 years - the project-oriented student), there is an educational dime
nsion (knowledge and
achievement by the action) and an evaluative (awaiting results). Finally, there
is a process, which is realized
between the autonomy of actors (master of business and temporalities) and the pr
ocess of institutional
framework (national, community - obligation to adhere to the device). The logic
of the project is built on the
generalization of a framework for action: the call to project facilitates social
acceptance of the device and the
economic and organizational - cognitive and cultural issues; social integration
of the virtues of action (com-
mitment, participation) higher values (acquisition and sharing of knowledge, bui
lding itself, cohesion, inter-
cultural). A common language of origin managerial is built around three poles, w
hatever the scale of the
project considered: the approach of project intended to secure control of the ac
tivity; production of good
practices qualifying results in projects and their possible transfer to other co
ntexts; widespread communica-
tion as a means of recovery projects. These tensions brought through the logic o
f the project are a form of in-
stitutional closure plays on the economic needs (physical, economic and organiza
tional constraints) and
structural needs (need for identity, joining a community). The construction of t
he social acceptability of the
project proposes a legitimating by the action (commitment, participation) and a
legitimating by the higher
values and a form of social imaginary (acquisition and sharing of knowledge, one
self building, intercultural-
ity).
The way is still long and difficult, not impossible The different approaches are
the results of various open-
ings and different cultural tradition, but also of context and different territo
ry. In conclusion we should re-
flect on modeled coordinated training in order to build a recognizable citizensh
ip for these shared values.

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