The SEDEC Commission of the European Committee of the Regions and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) are inviting local and regional authorities to share their experiences on digital education and skills through this survey. The deadline for submitting your answers is 23 May 2022.
1. Objective of the survey
Local and regional authorities (LRAs) have an essential role to play in the sustainable and effective adaptation of the education and training systems of EU Member States to the digital age, and they play a key role in implementing the reforms and investments planned in the Recovery and Resilience Facility, of which EUR 13.8bn is dedicated specifically to digital education. The main objective of this survey, developed by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) with the support of the Committee of the Region's Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC), is to capture local and regional authorities' experiences with digital education and skills.
2. Scope of the survey
The survey's focus is on the challenges and opportunities local and regional authorities face in the provision of high-quality, inclusive and accessible digital education and skills as well as the sharing of good practices. It encompasses all levels of education and training including formal, informal and non-formal education.
3. Why participate?
Today, 46% of European adults lack basic digital skills. In addition, Europe faces significant inequality issues in terms of digital infrastructure and a general lack of digital readiness across regions, especially in schools and workplaces. For example, access to broadband internet varies significantly across the EU, ranging from 74% of households for the lowest-income quartile to 97% in the highest-income quartile. Many Member States have set ambitious objectives in terms of connectivity, infrastructure, digital equipment or teacher training. In order to support the Member States in working more effectively towards those targets, in 2021 the European Commission launched the Structured Dialogue on digital education and skills.
The survey will help channel the perspectives of local and regional authorities across Europe into the Structured Dialogue, which is part of the European Commission's Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027). The survey could capitalise on the political momentum on digital education and skills to further mobilise the efforts at all levels of government as well as create leverage for local and regional authorities to influence central government policy. To support the dissemination of the survey's results, DG EAC and SEDEC will identify two representatives of local and regional authorities to give in-depth presentations about their good practices at an event co-organised by SEDEC and DG EAC. The outcomes of the survey and of the event will feed directly into the upcoming Proposal for a Council Recommendation on enabling factors for digital education.
4. Practicalities
The survey opened on Tuesday April 19 and will close on May 23rd 2022. It will take maximum 15 minutes to fill out the survey and it consists of 4 sections:
- Part A: Questions about you
- Part B: Questions related to investment and cooperation
- Part C: Questions related to fostering the development of a high-performing digital education ecosystem
- Part D: Any other comments
Please find the link to the survey here: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/f4c43c72-dba5-1a3c-4498-b4d3941409eb
More information: SEDEC secretariat