Presentation of European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education in Brussels.

In the European Union the question of children’s rights has not come foremost in either policy or the legal framework. In fact in perusing the documents emanating from Brussels it is noticeable that although there are references and dedicated papers about ‘young people’ there has been, until comparatively recently, few references to ‘children’ and their needs. Hopefully things are about to change and some organisations, for instance Children in Scotland, The National Children’s Bureau and Children in Wales, are cooperating to raise the profile of children’s issues. Of late there has been a marked shift to recognise them as citizens too. The new draft constitution of the European Convention Article 1-3, which states the objectives of the Union, runs ‘(The Union) shall combat social exclusion and shall promote social justice and protection, equality between men and women. Solidarity between generations and protection of children’s’ rights.’ Also in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, that is proposed to become legally binding in all EU states, article 24 newly formulates the rights of the child:

1. Children shall have the right to such protection and care as is necessary for their well-being. They may express their views freely. Such views shall be taken into consideration on matters which concern them in accordance with their age and maturity.
2. In all actions relating to children, whether taken by public authorities or private institutions, the child's best interests must be a primary consideration.
3. Every child shall have the right to maintain on a regular basis a personal relationship and direct contact with both his or her parents, unless that is contrary to his or her interests.

This state of affairs has been up to now attributable to the limitations of the EU’s competences in the field of education. When the community was founded it was assumed that education was so deeply rooted in national identity that any supranational interference was undesirable. Being concerned with economic policy however led to some competences in the field of vocational training which led to initiatives in the areas of mobility by harmonising course contents so that diplomas could be mutually recognised. In the 1980’s this was extended by a ruling of the European Court of Justice that stated the definition of vocational training also encompassed university education. As time went on and in the face of the growing economic and technological strengths of Japan and the USA it became an accepted fact that education was a legitimate area of European intervention to improve the economic and technological future of Europe. The Lisbon summit of 2000 was explicit in agreeing a strategy for Europe to become ‘capable of sustainable growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion’” This in turn required the ‘modernisation of social welfare and education systems.’ The creation of a ‘knowledge society’ was now part of European-wide educational policy but within the utilitarian terms of economic growth and prosperity. And where then are the children?

This is, of course, an issue that should be close to our hearts. As education systems come in for great criticism and exposure of their shortcomings our task is to ensure that the child remains at the centre. The European Commission’s 2001 report ‘A New Impetus for European Youth’ acknowledges that ‘Education and training systems were strongly criticised by both young people and experts…. The shortcomings of today’s schools are not primarily seen as the fault of the teachers or of the schools as such, but of the educational system as a whole.’ The pressure for change increases but it could easily result in resorting to the anachronistic practices of the past. The French Education Minister Luc Ferry recently stated that putting the child at the centre of education was just demagoguery, and this sort of argument has to be countered with clarity and thoughtfulness. Many educationalists are uneasy about contemporary trends and this gives another dimension to our responsibilities towards the child. This debate is now an international one and it is on that stage that we have decided that our voice, albeit modest, be heard.

After years of occasional visits and endeavour to become better known by members of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, Media and Sport, we were invited to speak on behalf of the European Council for Steiner Waldorf education at an exchange of views with the Committee in session. We had been formally asked to ‘bring some inspiration’ to Brussels on a beautiful Michaelmas day this year. Over the past two years we have met with the co-ordinators of all the political parties represented in the Committee to obtain their support for this move, navigating the endless corridors and maze of rooms that is the European Parliament in Brussels. Earlier we had imported the wonderful Norwegian Waldorf schools’ exhibition, placed very strategically in the building for almost a week at the beginning of the campaign. The last of these meetings was with Michel Rocard, Chairman, ex-Prime Minister and Education Minister of France. All the meetings have been friendly and warmly welcomed by MEPs, and we have had some very fruitful discussions with them. Among those we have spoken with we have found both Waldorf parents and ex-Waldorf students too.

One development that facilitated this task was the European Council’s* decision in Lisbon in 2000 to ask the Education Council** to reflect upon the future aims of the education process. The Lisbon meeting also set the goal of making Europe ‘the most competitive and dynamically based economy in the world’. Their final statement evolved from this pragmatic and somewhat competitive view to state that education principally has the ‘important role to promote the humanistic values shared by our societies’.
The Education Council then came up with three main goals: to increase the quality and effectiveness of education and training systems in the European Union, to facilitate access of the same to all and to open up education and training systems to the wider world. Although these are rather generalised statements, the implication is that education is now a matter of debate at European level, and we believe it is important that we have voice in this debate from its first stages onwards. This also implies having an ear to what is being sounded and being prepared to engage in dialogue. Hence the hearing mentioned above, which proved to be a successful event.

After a 15-minute presentation by Isabelle Ablard-Dupin, from the French Federation, and another from me, committee members asked questions. The mood was one of palpable interest and responsiveness with attentive reference to the background leaflet had specially printed and given out. The members of the Committee were interested in, among other things, how we operate under different conditions as regards public funding, the role of sport in our schools and, significantly, how they might support us further. We were able to emphasise that our concern was for all children in Europe, not just those in our schools, and on this point we could use several official European reports and surveys to underline the need for transformation in educational practice. The enthusiasm often engendered by non-formal learning situations could also be found in more formal settings, with a more creative and child-appropriate method of teaching supported in the context of pluralism and diversity. There was applause at the end and the chairman was heard to say ‘bravo’ and how important he found our work, encouraging us to continue.

This invitation has given us an increased credibility and has opened up more potential, which we have already started to explore. We are considering how to develop our European political work further now that the European Commission has been made co-responsible with the Education Council for achieving more ambitious goals by 2010, as set out at the sitting [meeting] of the Education Council in February 2002. These goals include ‘to undertake a general reflection on the concrete objectives of education systems, focusing on common concerns while respecting national diversity.’ This aim of spreading best practice and achieving greater convergence with the main EU goals is called the ‘open method of co-operation’ - something with which Steiner schools are familiar in their own settings, albeit with different terminology. We have had a preliminary meeting with an official from the department of the Commission responsible for this programme, and have asked to be included in the work ahead.

Christopher Clouder. 5/10/03

* the Heads of State or Government of EU countries.
** the education ministers of the EU countries.