Young people are not only an integral part of our society. They are also the generation of tomorrow, they are our future government, our future thinkers and innovators. In many ways they also represent the present and a most important element of that present. It goes without saying then, that we should provide them with opportunities that will render them success in their future endeavours. Collectively, we should make available the necessary tools for all our young people to grow and flourish in the working world and continue to put education at the forefront of our priorities.
The Erasmus Plus programme is one such perfect example which represents opportunity and fosters the development and education of young people. The programme which facilitates mobility of students, sports people, youths and educators across Europe is named after the philosopher and humanist Erasmus who lived and worked in several European countries in search of knowledge and experience. We can already see the results of such a programme, with 4 million students having benefited from ERASMUS. Nonetheless, the current available EU funds are simply not enough as more and more young people want to participate in such programme.
Although this initiative has been hailed a success and has without a doubt made a significant improvement in our students’ education, giving them the opportunity to study abroad and instil in them a sense of European Identity, there remains some concerns and room for improvement.
In fact my first address at the European Parliament focused on the challenges faced by students willing to study abroad. I then hosted a number of Maltese students at the European Parliament who participated in the programme for the 30th Anniversary of the programme and I was able to listen to first hand experiences and problems which these students encountered before, during and after their programme came to an end. Concerns included the lack of communication between the students and the hosting institution, bureaucracy at the application stage and problems with accommodation services. Students also expressed the view that the programme needs to be promoted better as there is a lack of sufficient awareness about it in Malta. Another central issue in Erasmus + is reachability – we need to strive to make the programme accessible to all social spheres of society and cater for those most vulnerable.
These concerns were shared with my fellow colleagues at the European People’s Party Group. We have strived to improve the next Erasmus + Programme, taking particular account to those problems faced by the students. At the European Parliament’s Culture and Education Committee of which I form part of, we have recently adopted a Report addressing these problem, including measures which should be taken so that the programme can improve and become more inclusive. Socio-economic background should not determine whether or not an EU citizen can benefit from this exchange programme – this is the first and foremost prerequisite for such an initiative. We have also secured a number of measures such as ensured that funds are not cut from higher education mobility. Additionally, we have increased the allocation of funds for the Vocational Education and Training (VET) scheme which will be beneficial for MCAST students and staff, for adult education, schools and sports - an important sector which is at often times put aside. In fact we have included new actions to address this by offering young athletes and sport coaches the option to participate in mobility schemes.
Perhaps one of the most crucial needs which I have been stressing since the beginning of my mandate as an Member of the European Parliament is the tripling of funds allocated to this programme. This falls short of what the National Youth Council (KNZ) along with several European youth organisations has asked for through the x10 campaign, or better for funds to increase tenfold.
Still tripling the present budget is certainly a welcome step in the right direction. Although the European Commission has proposed to double the funding bringing the total sum to 30 billion euros and will support up to 12 million people, we at the EPP Group believe that this is not nearly enough and we should increase the sum to 45 billion euros.
Ultimately, Erasmus+ is an opportunity for young people to experience different cultures, it promotes social interaction of people coming from different walks of life. The programme enables our youth to acquire more knowledge, builds bridges between the Member States’ future generations and also reduces early school leavers – a problem which has been effecting Maltese education for many years. We should consider these types of initiatives as investments towards a better future for Europeans, facilitating dialogue and shared experiences. With this reasoning, I will always put such programmes at the top of my priority list and will continue to work in favour of a better and improved Erasmus + programme.
Dr Zammit Dimech is a Nationalist Party Member of European Parliament