“In spite of the positive tendencies in some sectors, as a whole the progress registered by European systems of education and training towards the achievement of the objectives fixed by the Lisbon Strategy is insufficient”, says the 2006 Report of the European Commission on progress in the educational sector in the framework of the Lisbon Strategy, now available for downloading on the website a target=’_blanck’ href=http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/objectives_en.html#measuringhttp://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/objectives_en.html#measuring The document – though it underlines with satisfaction both the growth of graduates in mathematical and technological sciences and the overall good results in the countries of Eastern Europe – sounds a number of alarm bells and brings them to the attention of professionals in the sector. They include the still too high percentage of school dropouts (still some 6 million in the age group between 18 and 24 alone in 2005); the target of 12.5% of adults receiving training throughout their working life by 2010 is still far from having been reached, with a shortfall of at least 4 million people; the teaching of languages is not as widespread as it ought to be (less than two languages per student on average); the annual investment per student in Europe is less than half that in the USA; and the risk of a future shortage of qualified teachers due to the ageing of the population is real in almost all member states. The document – though it underlines with satisfaction both the growth of graduates in mathematical and technological sciences and the overall good results in the countries of Eastern Europe – sounds a number of alarm bells and brings them to the attention of professionals in the sector. They include the still too high percentage of school dropouts (still some 6 million in the age group between 18 and 24 alone in 2005); the target of 12.5% of adults receiving training throughout their working life by 2010 is still far from having been reached, with a shortfall of at least 4 million people; the teaching of languages is not as widespread as it ought to be (less than two languages per student on average); the annual investment per student in Europe is less than half that in the USA; and the risk of a future shortage of qualified teachers due to the ageing of the population is real in almost all member states.
