European mobility plans 'not radical enough'

Proposals to increase 바카라사이트 number of British students heading to continental Europe to study are too modest, a House of Lords debate has heard.

Lord Giddens of Southgate, former director of 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, said he was disappointed by 바카라사이트 ¡°modest approach¡± adopted by a Lords committee examining how student and staff mobility could be increased.

The Lords EU subcommittee, headed by Baroness Young of Hornsey, recommended 바카라사이트 introduction of modern language teaching in all primary and secondary schools, and 바카라사이트 allocation of more cash to research, innovation and education in 바카라사이트 European Union¡¯s Horizon 2020 budget.

More flexible short-term placements should also be made available under 바카라사이트 Erasmus scheme, which provides grants for students to study abroad, said 바카라사이트 report, The Modernisation of Higher Education in Europe, which was published in March this year.

But Lord Giddens, a signatory to 바카라사이트 1999 Bologna Agreement to harmonise Europe¡¯s higher education systems, said in 바카라사이트 debate on 11 October that ¡°more radical¡± action was needed. ¡°Europe is going through an existential crisis and 바카라사이트 status quo is not an option,¡± noted 바카라사이트 peer, a leading sociologist.

¡°Europe is going to look very different in five or six years¡¯ time - everything will need to change and higher education is one of those areas. I don¡¯t think it is right to take a modest approach. (The committee¡¯s report) could have been much more adventurous.¡±

Meanwhile, Baroness Sharp of Guildford, a former lecturer in economics at 바카라사이트 LSE, said 바카라사이트 UK was ¡°scoring an own goal¡± by blocking increases to 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s 2014-20 research budget.

The EU¡¯s seven net contributors - Austria, France, Germany, Finland, 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, Sweden and 바카라사이트 UK - have refused to increase 바카라사이트 Horizon 2020 budget by 6.8 per cent to around ?81 billion.

¡°This is a programme where our universities do disproportionately well,¡± she pointed out.

Lord Hannay of Chiswick, a former diplomat, believed 바카라사이트 government¡¯s stance was a ¡°wasted opportunity¡±, as support for more education and research funding could help 바카라사이트 UK to shape 바카라사이트 upcoming budget.

Elsewhere in 바카라사이트 debate, Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, founder of Cobra Beer, said 바카라사이트 student-visa ban at London Metropolitan University had done huge damage to 바카라사이트 UK sector.

¡°I am on 바카라사이트 board of three business schools and applications from India have plummeted,¡± he said. ¡°The message (바카라사이트 visa ban) sends out across 바카라사이트 world is: ¡®We do not want foreign students¡¯.¡±

jack.grove@tsleducation.com.