Contribution by Mr. Dan Gabriel Popa, senator, to the CEI-PD Cultural Affairs General Committee meeting, Vienna, 25-26 September 2008
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to thank to Mrs Neuwirth, the chairperson of the Cultural Affairs Committee of CEI-PD for the initiative to host within the premises of the Austrian Parliament this meeting.
In my view, there is a need for sustainable development to be considered as a comprehensive, evolving and - not in the least - a cross-cutting concept.
Sustainability is a paradigm, the future being thought as a balance between environment, society and economy, the ultimate goal being to develop and to improve the quality of life.
We cannot ignore the eighteen principles laid down in the Rio Declaration, adopted on the occasion of the UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, The Millennium Development Goals (the 2nd Goal – Universal Education and the 7th Goal – Environmental Sustainability), the Lisbon Strategy, the Working Programme on education and training for 2010, the Integrated Action Programme for life-long learning 2007-2013, the provisions of 1999 Bologna Declaration, the Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) or the United Nations Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014).
The recommendations of Agenda 21 (Chapter 36) highlight the need for reorientation of education towards sustainable development, for increasing public awareness and for promoting training.
The link between education and environment is an incontrovertible fact. The education is undoubtedly representing a prerequisite for attaining the sustainable development objectives.
The education for sustainable development (ESD) is primarily an invitation to act in a responsible way and in full solidarity, by proactive involvement as much as possible of many stakeholders – governments and local authorities, education and research units, public health system, the private sector – through corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns aiming at raising public awareness- , manufacturing industries, transport, agriculture, trade and labour unions, mass-media, NGO’s, local communities, citizens and international organizations.
The overall goal of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development is to integrate through a dynamic concept, the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning.
In the field of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) each country must define its objectives, priorities and approaches designed to respond to their educational needs.
In this respect, our National Strategic Reference Framework 2007-2013 was built around seven priority axes, of which at least 3 are directly relevant for the future of the national education and training system. The National Reform Programme for the Lisbon Agenda also includes the development of education and training among its strategic priorities.
Last year, Romania prepared a Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development, which followed the recommendations of the UNECE Strategy and detailed the objectives and specific actions to be undertaken.
Romania will adopt in the near future the National Strategy on Sustainable Development. The Draft Strategy was launched at the beginning of this year and then it was submitted to the attention of the National Council for Public Debate, the deadline for its adoption being by the end of this year.
According to the last version of the Draft Strategy, in the education and training area, the National Objective for 2013 is to develop human capital and increase competitiveness by linking education and life-long learning to labour market and ensuring better opportunities to participate in a modern, inclusive and flexible labour market.
The targets set in Lisbon Strategy, (an average employment rate of 70% for the population between 15 and 64 years), the reduction of drop-out rate to under 10%, raising to 85% the share of high-school graduates in the population aged 15 to 64, cannot be reached, in Romania’s case until 2010. Our country will make all the necessary efforts to meet the target set under the Millennium Development Goals, to make sure that, by 2012, at least 95% of the children in rural areas should complete their primary and secondary education cycles.
The Horizon 2020 National Objective is to attain the average performance level of the EU in education and training, with the exception of services in rural areas and for disadvantaged groups, where the EU targets will apply.
In order to fulfil this target there is a need for the development of institutional capacity and innovation relying on knowledge management.
Promoting the principle of life-long learning represents a priority for Romania, given the significant shortfalls in terms of enrolment rates in various forms of training, retraining, professional upgrading or specialization, as well as in terms of personal and social development.
The third National Objective Horizon 2030 is to bring the Romanian educational and training system in line with the best performing EU countries and to come significantly close to the average EU level regarding the offer of educational services provided in rural areas, to members of the disadvantaged groups or to persons with disabilities.
Thank you for your attention!