By Bruno Waterfield - 20th April 2006
Europe's universities will end up as “beautiful museums” unless academics harness knowledge to economic forces, warns Ján Figel'.
The European education commissioner tells EUpolitix that universities need to forge partnerships with the private sector.
“We have glorious traditional universities, places where strong identities exist, but much of the time they are living in closed spaces,” he tells this website.
“The success of competitors, and mainly the US, is closing the space between education, research and business.”
“If we don’t change something, the best researchers and talents will go to the US, agriculture to Brazil, services to India, industries to China and Europe will be full of beautiful museums.”
The Slovakian commissioner is pushing education, and educational institutions, to the heart of the EU’s drive to boost growth.
Key to arresting Europe’s brain drain, as researchers leave to work in more economies, are proposals to bring private investment into universities and to make research more relevant to business.
“We need to promote these partnerships, they are in our basic interest. In many EU member states private ownership in the economy is overwhelming,” he said.
“The economy must support education, and education should also serve economic needs. So there are many reasons why such partnerships should be normal and standard and not the exception.
Figel’ also argues that EU citizens need to realise the importance of education as a tool for adapting to economic change.
“Without lifelong learning there will be less and less lifelong earning. So, on one side it is about more options for jobs, about keeping up with the changing times,” he said.
“On the other, it is about the important mental changes we need to build up: that education is an important investment throughout life.”
In a 21st century EU, defined by the political phenomenon of globalisation, the commissioner sees education as part of a cultural as well as economic shift.
“Everybody, and all societies, must reasonably adapt, because everything is changing… So I think those who agree lifelong learning is important believe this is the way to keep some jobs in a changing environment or changing market.
“People can not believe that it is a job for life, it is not like that any more.”
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.