Educating the children of migrants

On 3 July 2008 the European Commission published a Green Paper on "Migration and Mobility: Challenges and Opportunities for EU Education Systems", part of a package of measures accompanying the Renewed Social Agenda. The aim of the Green Paper was to launch a broad public consultation on the best ways of supporting the education of children from a migrant background in the education systems of the EU Member States.

The Green Paper consultation closed on 31 December 2008. The 101 contributions received cover a wide range of stakeholders, including Member States authorities, the European Parliament and the EU advisory bodies, regional and local authorities, European and national associations, religious organisations, social partners, academics and individuals. This report summarises the written contributions received during the consultation.

The great majority of contributions received welcome the Green Paper as a timely addition to the national policy debates. Contributors underline the common challenges faced by national education systems, including the need to increase policy coordination between educational and social policies at all levels, an increased focus on equity and equal opportunities in education and the prevention of school segregation and early school leaving. The policy responses focus on language acquisition and on intercultural education in schools and on strengthening and adapting teacher education.

There is also broad support in the contributions for further initiatives at EU level in the area, through programme funding, peer learning and support for research. There was more divergence of opinions on the appropriateness of developing benchmarks or further indicators in the area, as well as a lack of consensus on the future of Directive 77/486/EEC on the education of the children of migrant workers (the great majority of contributors recognised its inadequacy in the current European social context).

Building on the support received in the consultation process, the Commission will organise a stakeholder conference to encourage debate on the policies needed to support the education of the children of migrants. The Commission has already announced its intention to continue working on this topic, proposing the education of the children of migrants as a priority theme for future work within the Education and Training 2010 programme.