Dialoog EU en Australië over beleid kinderopvoeding een succes (en) - Hoofdinhoud
The third EU-Australia Policy Dialogue was hosted by the Australian Department of Education Employment and Work Place Relations (DEEWR) and held in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne from 11th to 15th April 2011. The topic was Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC).
The event gathered together an impressive array of experts, researchers, practitioners and policy makers from across Australia and Europe. The Australian side was led by Ms Jennifer Taylor, Acting Deputy Secretary, Office of Early Childhood Education and Child Care, and the EU side by Ms Hélène Clark, Director for Lifelong Learning Policies and Programmes, Directorate-General for Education and Culture at the European Commission.
The discussions were guided by a comprehensive discussion paper prepared by Early Childhood Australia (ECA), an Australia wide advocacy organisation which specialises in the wellbeing of young children in ECEC services. The agenda for the discussions covered quality assurance, content, impact, access, equity, integrated services, affordability, indigenous partnerships, and meeting the needs of disadvantaged children and families. Experts and practitioner discussed challenges and possible solutions but it was clear that both the EU and Australia face similar challenges. The Dialogue included exchanges of research and policy by experts from both the EU and Australia, some site visits to Australian Early Childhood Centres/Schools in Sydney and Canberra, as well as a series of public lectures.
The 2011 Policy Dialogue concluded that “the success of the third EU-Australia Education and Training Policy Dialogue attests to the importance of continued bilateral cooperation. In the area of Early Childhood Education and Care, over the past week, it has been obvious that there are significant mutual benefits for supporting such a dialogue and promoting high-quality education across education sectors.” In looking ahead, both sides agreed on key joint actions that highlight the existing approach to working together and support mutually beneficial outcomes (see Joint Statement).
The 2011 Policy Dialogue was preceded by a “roadshow” throughout Australia promoting education and research opportunities for Australian students, scholars and institutions and the first ever OCEANS Get to Know Europe Workshop for Australian students intending to spend a study period in Europe.
To know more
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-European Commission: EU-Australia co-operation in education and training