Matilda and Andreé from SFS International Committee Committee attended the 49th European Students' Convention (ESC) between the 24th to the 28th of February.
This spring the ESC was hosted by the Union of Students of Ireland (USI), in the beautiful city of Galway. A big thanks to USI for organizing a great ESC.
The theme of the ESC was Quality of Education. We had the opportunity to dig deeper in discussions on different aspects of quality, with an interactive workshop discussing different aspects of quality in regards to micro credentials. It was an interesting workshop where the complexity as well as the possibilities of microcredentials were clear. We also discussed recognition of prior learning (RPL), inclusive assessment methods and the impact of mental health in regards to quality of education.
During the ESC we also had presentations from the Atlantic Technical University (ATU) which is a university that was created by the merging of four different higher education institutions spanning the northwestern part of the island. It was interesting to learn more about the university and its differences and similarities to the work within the European university alliances (EUI), the EU initiative to promote transnational networks of universities in Europe.
As always the ESC is also an opportunity for networking and exchange of experiences. The ability to collaborate and compromise is also an important ingredient in the up and coming Board meeting in May, where the formal decisions on ESU's policies and opinions will be taken. The SFS delegation could share many good examples from the Swedish higher education structures for student representation and student influence. We also discussed our national network for student representatives in EUI which was very welcomed within the ESU.
We would once again give a big thanks to USI. After this ESC we also feel grateful for our colleagues in national student unions all over Europe and reenergized in continuing the work of promoting the student perspective on European educational policies!
/Andreé and Matilda