From: KL

To: Editor

Date: 09 Jul 2004

 

I'm afraid you have a too romantic idea about Europe... Things are getting worse fast, the thing that mainly concerns me is what is going on in higher education, which is being reformed to be "compatible" with international "standards" - in practice this means that the American model (bachelors/masters, majors/minors, "credits" in stead of a curriculum, etc...) is implemented on EU level. Actually, the European Union has no educational authority/responsibility at all. But it has a responsibility on "vocational training" and it tries to stretch this into education. On the other hand, the real power in the EU is not with the European Parliament or even the European Commission, but it is with the "Council of ministers" (which may be the prime ministers, ministers of external affairs or education as is fit for the problem at hand). On the level of education ministers, there is an agreement called the "Bologna protocol" which is a sell-out of the universities to the industry. This has been going on for quite some time. One of the driving forces behind all this is the European Round Table of Industrials and a lot of shady organisations around them. I am not too involved in all this at the moment (due to work/study/children), but I could send you more information if you are interested.

 

 

From: Fabian Pascal

To: KL

 

Heh, heh, heh, I've been saying this for a long time, when nobody figured it out yet; no romantic view at all [see, for example, Dumbing Down: Et Tu Europe?]

 

The time of the west is over. All dominant empires self-destruct. The future is in Asia. Glad won't be here when the process completes.

 

 

Posted 08/27/04