European Trade Union Committee for Education

Lifelong Learning Platform, an umbrella network of 40 European organisations representing educational institutions and associations of formal, non-formal and informal education, promotes an integrated approach to lifelong learning and a vision of education as a framework for personal development. The LLL-Platform position paper Integrating Refugees and Migrants through Education that has been released in September 2016 calls on EU Member States to take legal actions ensuring equal access to education for all regardless of residence status and nationality.

The position paper considers inclusive education and the holistic, cross-sectorial approach to the integration of migrants into a host society the only sustainable and long-term solutions to fight xenophobia, socio-economic segregation and poverty of migrants in Europe. It suggests several practical examples such as: developing intercultural competences through citizenship education, intercultural learning, learning mobility; contesting segregation in educational institutions by providing incentives to attract more advantaged students to less advantaged schools, introduction of inclusive mechanisms for validation and recognition of skills, competences and qualifications of migrants and refugees.

According to the paper, another key condition for the successful integration of migrants and refugees is “quality teaching in an increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse environment”. ETUCE has also repeatedly stressed the importance of initial and continuous professional trainings for teachers, educators and school leaders, as well as the provision of professional and psychological support for teachers in culturally diverse schools. In this area, the LLL-Platform marks a valuable input of the Sirius Network “Clear Agenda for Migrant Education in Europe” and the EU’s ET2020 Working Group on Schools Policy (2014- 15).