THE STUDENT VOICE
The monthly newsletter of the European Students' Union

January 2011
 Issue 31

European countries unite in battle against Belarus 
 

OSLO - In response to letters from the European Students' Union (ESU), the Norwegian ministry of Education intends to issue a joint statement with ten other Northern European countries in which they express their common concern about the violation of academic freedom in Belarus. So far, Estonia, Denmark and Lithuania already confirmed their participation.

Read more

Commission launches debate on EU student loans
 

BRUSSELS - One of the hot topics for discussion in the higher education policy debate in 2011, is the possibility of an EU loan scheme which aims to improve the mobility of students. As higher education policy is still mainly a national competence and EU-wide targets are predominantly implemented on the national level, the European Commission now wants to test out the feasibility of redefining their approach, by offering students direct loans from the EU level.

Read more

ESU targets lack of student involvement with quality assurance project 'QUEST'
 

BRUSSELS - At the moment, there are several policy instruments in place that support improvements of 
the quality of higher education on an ongoing basis. However, according to the European Students' Union (ESU), there is still a clear lack of true student involvement in this area. The recently started ESU project dubbed 'QUEST' intends to change this.

Read more

"Member states leave students out of national EU 2020 debates" 

BRUSSELS -  As part of the EU 2020 Strategy all member states drafted new national reform programmes outlining how they intend to reach the national targets by 2020. Despite the promise of a transparent and public debate that was suppose to surround these reform programmes, the European Students' Union (ESU) fears that key stakeholders in education, such as national unions of students, have been left out.

Read more

Winner Student Peace Prize honored with ceremony on 18 February

OSLO - Croatian student Dusko Kostić, the winner of the Student Peace Prize 2011, will be honored with a ceremony on 18 February in Trondheim, Norway. According to the Chairperson of the European Students' Union, Bert Vandenkendelaere: "Kostic and his work highlight two important issues. The first is that education is crucial for groups who are trying to overcome discrimination and social exclusion. The second is the extraordinary role that students can play in changing their societies."

Read more
Join Our Mailing List!
In This Issue
European countries unite in battle against Belarus
Commission launches debate on EU student loans
ESU targets lack of student involvement in quality assurance
"Member states leave students out of national EU 2020 debates"
Winner Student Peace Prize 2011

Upcoming ESU Events 

February 14-17: 21st European Student Convention, Budapest, Hungary

 

May 2-7: Board Meeting 60, Tallinn, Estonia

Education News in Brief

EUA: Report on impact on economic crisis on higher education

 

University World News: City universities booming in France   


NY Times: Europe's Young Grow Agitated Over Future Prospects 

 

University World News: Spending cuts hit university budgets


Times Higher Education: UK students fail to secure places
 

EUA: Hungarian Presidency priorities on education

ESU in the media

Times Higher Education: Cool heads must keep heat down  

 

NY Times: More Germans are opting to study abroad  

 

Belfm: European students stand up for Belarusians

 

OpenDemocracy: Students hitch to Europe

 

Interview United4Iran - Marek Baranski

Other education events

Berlin, 14 March 2011 - Bologna-Seminar: "The European Dimension of Quality Assurance   

 

Oslo, 27-29 June 2011, CoE conference 'Reimagining democratic societies'


 
The European Students' Union, headquartered in Brussels,
is the umbrella organisation of 45 National Unions of Students from 38 countries. ESU represents and advocates the educational, social, economical and cultural interests of students at the European level: European Union, Council of Europe, UNESCO and the Bologna Follow Up Group.

 

Dear readers,

Please send us articles on your activities, campaigns or events that might be interesting for ESU's monthly newsletter, or send your newsletters regularly to the following address: secretariat@esu-online.org. Find out more about ESU on www.esu-online.org.

 

Find us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

 

For more information, contact:

Marianne Slegers, Communications Manager ESU:

marianne@esu-online.org

 

 

ESU - European Students' Union

Rue de la Sablonnière 20
1000 Bruxelles, BELGIUM

Tel: +32 2 502 2362