|
EUROCLIO Petition to facilitate teacher participation in professional development and lifelong learning opportunities Â
Dear Madam/Sir,  Lifelong learning and professional developments are among the key objectives of the European policies and programmes in recent years and this year in particular. Educational policies are forward thinking and ambitious, however their implementation rarely trickles down to the teacher.  EUROCLIO surveys among teachers show that less than 10% of European teachers are able to participate in professional development or training events without suffering some or significant personal cost. 44% of educators feel that it is either very difficult or impossible to attend teacher training events due to costs or policies. Lifelong learning as a European goal will be attained only when ongoing training and education will be a matter-of-factly part of educators’ professional lives.  We call on policy makers on European and national levels to engage in a concentrated effort to lift the obstacles that prevent teachers from full professional development: unpaid leave or impossibility to take time off for training events, and insufficient or no financial support towards participation in such events, accompanied by lack of basic information about existing learning opportunities and support. Help us raise this issue in the national and international forums where policies are discussed and formulated. |
