Last week, SFS participated in the Erasmus Days, which was arranged for the fourth time. Thousands of activities are organized over three days and the University and College Council invited to a panel discussion on the European Commission's prestige initiative European University. The webinar sought answers to "European University - a paradigm shift in Swedish higher education?". With this text, I will comment on SFS's attitude towards the European University.
The academy's role for intercultural competences
The academy's function in the knowledge society means that it to a very high degree takes part in a globalized world. Students as well as research and teaching staff must be given the opportunity and encouraged to exchange and international collaboration. It is also important that students as research and teaching staff are given the opportunity to develop their intercultural competence, in order to enable effective and appropriate communication with other cultures. SFS is positive about the initiatives. This is because we believe it can contribute to further internationalization. It is intended to actually reach the goal of mobility (not just for the student), which is required if we really want more people to go on exchanges, then we need to provide better conditions for that. The alliances can be a tool for this.
About the University of Europe
Ahead of the Gothenburg summit in 2017, the overall vision for a European education area for 2025 was discussed. The following year, the European Commission launched the European Universities initiative.
Cross-border alliances
European universities are cross-border alliances between colleges and universities from all over Europe. Cross-border refers to the international spread as well as subject areas, commonly referred to as multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary. Alliances, also called initiatives and networks, are created for the benefit of students, teachers and society. The alliances include universities from different parts of Europe. SFS would like the universities that are part of the alliance to gather around an issue in order to jointly find new knowledge and use what exists in a new way. In these projects, SFS sees the students as an obvious party.
The quality of the education lies in its usefulness for the student. Students have different purposes and goals with their education. Therefore, it is important that there is a diversity of both subject areas and forms of education. The students are the ones who are to be educated and who alone can decide which education is useful to them. Therefore, student demand should be the most important factor when controlling the scope of Swedish higher education. Transnational courses given within the alliances are a way for education to develop. The purpose of the European University is to increase the quality and competitiveness of European education through collaborations between higher education institutions in Europe. Through Europe University, exchange periods are becoming an increasingly integrated part for students, researchers and staff at higher education institutions.
The commitment of the Swedish higher education institutions
In Sweden, there are now eleven higher education institutions that are part of alliances with other higher education institutions in Europe, which are European universities. With funding from the Erasmus + and Horizon 2020 programs, European universities are expected to contribute to improving the quality of education, inclusion, digitalisation and the attractiveness of European higher education. It is important that higher education institutions can be self-governing in which educations they choose to provide. Therefore, it is also important that the higher education institution takes responsibility for the educations given being useful and relevant to the student based on the student's situation. The state must finance higher education so that it can benefit everyone on equal terms.
Student participation and influence
SFS as well as the European student union have pushed for student participation and influence. We experience the Swedish tradition of student representatives as strong, as student representatives are often seen as equal to other representatives. We are very happy about this, but part of activating student representatives is to give them time and material to familiarize themselves with the issue. Students usually have these assignments in addition to studies and it is of great importance that the best possible conditions are given to the representatives who are to represent Sweden's students and doctoral students. SFS had wanted to see that these assignments were remunerated. In order for students to have the opportunity to deviate from focus from their studies, the students need to be compensated. The experience is not enough, although of course it is also enriching and developing for both the individual and the work.
What does SFS do?
What SFS is now working on is to coordinate a network or equivalent with the Swedish student representatives within the European universities. At European level, the same is done within the European student union, ESU. SFS International Committee The committee is working on the issue via the ESU against the European Commission. To secure the student representation and contribute to the exchange between these, to provide support to the student who is involved as well as to contribute to the student movement's influence.