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This report presents a comparative overview of the main features of national student fee and financial support systems in European higher education in the 2020/21 academic year. It provides insights on whether any fees are charged to students in higher education, which students may have to pay such fees and how much. It also presents public financial support tools available to students, including grants and loans, as well as to their families, in the form of tax benefits to students' parents and family allowances. We can also learn about which students can benefit from grants and what criteria they need to meet to access grants. The comparative overview is complemented by 43 national information sheets, which briefly describe each national student fee and support system in public and government-dependent private higher education institutions. It includes data on short­cycle, first-cycle (Bachelor level) and second-cycle (Master level) programmes. The C0VID-19 pandemic have created more challenging circumstances to students to access higher education and have the right conditions to study and succeed in higher education. This report also aims to capture some administrative and financial measures in the area of student fees and support that governments adopted in 2020 to support students to strive. Information covers 38 countries, including the 27 EU Member States as well as the United Kingdom, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Turkey.

This report provides information on the structure of mainstream European education systems, from pre-primary to tertiary level for the 2020/21 school and academic year. It includes national schematic diagrams and a guide to reading the diagrams. It also contains a map visually showing the main organisational models of primary and lower secondary education in Europe: 'single structured education', 'common core curriculum provision' and 'differentiated lower secondary education'. The information is available for 43 European education systems covering 38 countries participating in the EU's Erasmus+ programme. The report's content is in line with the Eurydice Network's task: understand and explain how Europe's different education systems are organised and how they work. [For the 2019/20 report, see ED610856.]

The academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, term times, holidays and examination periods). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. The information is available for 38 countries. [For the 2019/20 report, see ED610817.]

This report provides information on the structure of mainstream European education systems, from pre-primary to tertiary level for the 2019/20 school and academic year. It includes national schematic diagrams and a guide to reading the diagrams. It also contains a map visually showing the main organisational models of primary and lower secondary education in Europe,: 'single structured education', 'common core curriculum provision' and 'differentiated lower secondary education'. The information is available for 43 European education systems covering 38 countries participating in the EU's Erasmus+ programme. The report's content is in line with the Eurydice Network's task: understand and explain how Europe's different education systems are organised and how they work. [For the 2018/19 report, see ED610859.]

The academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, term times, holidays and examination periods). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. The information is available for 38 countries. [For the 2018/19 report, see ED593872.]

This Eurydice report sheds light on two different but complementary perspectives of digital education: the development of digital competences relevant to learners and teachers on the one hand, and the pedagogical use of technologies to support, improve and transform learning and teaching on the other. The report covers different areas of digital education starting by an overview of school curricula and learning outcomes related to digital competence. The development of teacher-specific competences during initial teacher education and throughout their career is addressed as well as the assessment of students' digital competences and the use of digital technologies for assessment. Finally, the report gives some insight into current national strategies and policies on digital education at school. The annexes add specific information by country, on school curricula, teacher competence frameworks, top-level strategies and agencies supporting digital education at school. The report covers digital education at primary and general secondary levels for the school year 2018/19 in all 28 EU Member States, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey, 43 education systems in total.

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) -- the phase before primary education -- is increasingly acknowledged as providing the foundations for lifelong learning and development. This second edition of 'Key data on early childhood education and care in Europe' charts the progress made in the key quality areas identified in the Council Recommendation on High Quality ECEC Systems. It provides policymakers, researchers and parents with ready access to international comparative data and a wealth of country examples relating to the ECEC policies currently in place in Europe. The first part of the report provides indicators on the key quality areas of access, staff, educational guidelines as well as evaluation and monitoring. Cross-cutting these key areas, the report offers a child-centred approach with special attention being paid to the inter-relatedness of policies in different areas. The importance of inclusiveness in education is also stressed as high quality ECEC is considered one of the best ways to increase equity and equality in society. The second part of the report gives the national picture with information sheets highlighting the key features of each ECEC system, including a diagram of its structure. The report's scope is very wide, covering centre-based and regulated home-based provision in both the public and private sectors in the 38 European countries (43 education systems) participating in the EU's Erasmus+ programme. It includes the 28 Member States of the European Union as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey.

This report provides information on the structure of mainstream European education systems, from pre-primary to tertiary level for the 2018/19 school and academic year. It includes national schematic diagrams, an explanatory guide and a map showing visually the main organisational models of compulsory education. They also reveal that there are three main organisational models of primary and lower secondary education in Europe: Single Structured Education, common core curriculum provision and differentiated lower secondary education. The information is available for 43 European education systems covering 38 countries participating in the EU's Erasmus+ programme. The report's content is in line with the Eurydice Network's task: understand and explain how Europe's different education systems are organised and how they work. [For the 2017/18 report, see ED588866.]

This annual report shows how fee and support systems (including grants and loans) interact in higher education in Europe. It provides both a comparative overview and individual country sheets outlining the main elements of national systems. In particular, the publication describes the range of fees charged to students, specifying the categories of students that are required to pay and those who may be exempt. Similarly, it explains the types and amounts of public support available in the form of grants and loans, as well as tax benefits and family allowances, where applicable. The report focuses on fees and support in public and government-dependent private higher education institutions. It includes data on short-cycle, first-cycle (Bachelor level) and second-cycle (Master level) programmes. Information covers 38 countries, including the 28 EU Member States as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey.

The academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, term times, holidays and examination periods). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. The information is available for 38 countries. [For the previous report "The Organisation of the Academic Year in Europe, 2017/18. Eurydice--Facts and Figures," see ED588761.]

The Eurydice report 'Teaching careers in Europe: access, progression and support' provides a comparative overview of national policies on teacher careers across Europe. It maps existing regulations and policy recommendations at primary and general secondary levels, and covers all the countries of the European Union as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, and Turkey. The report is divided into five chapters: forward planning and main challenges in teacher supply and demand, entry to the teaching profession and teacher mobility, continuing professional development and support, career development, and teacher appraisal. The annexes provide information and references to the career structures, the teacher competence framework and their use.

This report focuses on the structure of mainstream education in European countries from preprimary to tertiary level for the 2017/18 school and academic year. Forty-three education systems are included covering 38 countries participating in the EU's Erasmus+ programme (28 Member States, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia and Turkey). The first section of the report sets out the main organisational models of primary and lower secondary education (ISCED 1-2). The second one provides a guide on how to read the diagrams. The national schematic diagrams are shown in the third section.

This annual report shows how fee and support systems (including grants and loans) work in higher education in Europe. It provides both a comparative overview of fees and financial support available to full-time students in 2017/18, and also includes individual country sheets outlining the main elements of national systems. In particular, the publication describes the range of fees charged to national, EU and international students, specifying the categories of students that are required to pay and those who may be exempt. Similarly, it explains the types and amounts of public support available in the form of grants and loans, as well as tax benefits and family allowances where applicable. The report focuses on fees and support in public or government-dependent private higher education institutions for short cycle, first cycle (Bachelor level) and second cycle (Master level) programmes, and does not cover private higher education institutions. Information covers the 28 EU Member States as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia and Turkey. [For the 2016/17 report, see ED581937.]

The academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, term times, holidays and examination periods). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. The information is available for 37 countries. [For the previous report "The Organisation of the Academic Year in Europe, 2016/17. Eurydice--Facts and Figures," see ED593874.]

The academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, term times, holidays and examination periods). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. The information is available for 37 countries. [For the previous report "The Organisation of the Academic Year in Europe, 2015/16. Eurydice--Facts and Figures," see ED593877.]

Entrepreneurship education is essential not only to shape the mind-sets of young people but also to provide the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are central to developing an entrepreneurial culture. This report captures all the latest developments in this regard in European countries, following earlier Eurydice reports (2006, 2012). It covers school education (primary, general secondary and school-based initial vocational education and training (IVET)) in all 33 Eurydice network countries/regions, except Germany, Ireland and Liechtenstein. Chapter 1 focuses notably on the national definitions and contextual indicators. Chapter 2 looks at strategic actions and funding mechanisms that support entrepreneurship education. Chapter 3 examines integration of entrepreneurship education into national school curricula and learning outcomes and Chapter 4 looks at the curricula of initial and continuing teacher education. Finally, Chapter 5 provides an overview of the elements that European countries have already put in place as well as those that need to be further developed in order to make advances in this field. [This report was written with contributions from Aude Antoine, Sogol Noorani, and Michele Zagordo.]

This annual report shows how fee and support systems (including grants and loans) work in higher education in Europe. It provides both a comparative overview of fees and financial support available to full-time students in 2016/17, and also includes individual country sheets outlining the main elements of national systems. In particular, the publication describes the range of fees charged to national, EU and international students, specifying the categories of students that are required to pay and those who may be exempt. Similarly, it explains the types and amounts of public support available in the form of grants and loans, as well as tax benefits and family allowances where applicable. The report focuses on fees and support in public or government-dependent private higher education institutions for short cycle, first cycle (Bachelor level) and second cycle (Master level) programmes, and does not cover private higher education institutions. Information covers the 28 EU Member States as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey.

The academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, term times, holidays and examination periods). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. The information is available for 38 countries. [For the previous report "The Organisation of the Academic Year in Europe, 2014/15. Eurydice--Facts and Figures," see ED593879.]

The Eurydice network has been collecting data on instruction time for more than two decades. These data have been published in many Eurydice publications, notably all editions of the 'Key data on Education'. Since 2010, annually updated data on instruction time has been available on the Eurydice website. Since 2013, the Eurydice network has been collecting jointly with the OECD (the NESLI network) data on instruction time. For many years too, the OECD has been collecting such data through the INES network for the collection and adjudication of system-level descriptive information on educational structures, policies and practices (NESLI, previously Network C). Given the great similarities between the two data collections, the OECD and Eurydice networks have decided to produce one single data collection tool and conjointly manage the data collection on instruction time. This common work avoids inconsistencies and overlaps between similar sets of internationally comparable data. The first section defines the scope of this publication and provides relevant definitions. The second contains a reading guide to the national data sheets (diagrams). This guide briefly explains what the diagrams show and how to read them, and lists the acronyms and abbreviations they use. The third provides country specific notes complementary to the information provided in the diagrams. These diagrams are located in Part II (Instruction time by country) and in Part III (Instruction time by subject). The annexes include diagrams on instruction time for subjects or curriculum categories that are only present in a small number of curricula in European countries (i.e. instruction time for the third and the fourth foreign languages as compulsory subjects and for the non-compulsory curriculum).

The academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, term times, holidays and examination periods). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. The information is available for 38 countries. [For the previous report "The Organisation of the Academic Year in Europe, 2013/14. Eurydice--Facts and Figures," see ED593880.]

The academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, term times, holidays and examination periods). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. The information is available for 38 countries. [For the previous report "The Organisation of the Academic Year in Europe, 2012/13," see ED593941.]

This Eurydice report analyses the relation between the policies that regulate the teaching profession in Europe, and the attitudes, practices, and perceptions of teachers. The analysis covers aspects such as, initial teacher education, continuing professional development, transnational mobility, as well as teacher demographics, working conditions, and the attractiveness of the profession. The report focuses on almost two million lower secondary education teachers employed in the 28 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Turkey. It is based on Eurydice and Eurostat/UOE data, as well as on a secondary analysis of TALIS 2013, combining qualitative and quantitative evidence. The reference year is 2013-14.

This 2012/13 academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, teaching activity, holidays, examination periods, and end of the academic year). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. [For the 2011/12 report, see ED593929.]

This 2009/10 academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, teaching activity, holidays, examination periods, and end of the academic year). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted.

This 2010/11 academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, teaching activity, holidays, examination periods, and end of the academic year). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. [For the 2009/10 report, see ED593939.]

This 2011/12 academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, teaching activity, holidays, examination periods, and end of the academic year). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. [For the 2010/11 report, see ED593940.]

For the first time, a pan-European study offers a comprehensive picture of reading literacy and identifies some of the key factors impacting on the acquisition of reading skills for 3-15 year olds. It addresses four key topics: teaching approaches, tackling reading difficulties, teacher education and the promotion of reading outside school. It investigates each key topic in the light of the results of academic research, the latest results of international surveys and an in-depth review of national policies, programmes and best practices. This new Eurydice study shows what countries are doing to improve reading literacy--and where they are falling short. The study, which covers 31 countries (EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey), reveals that while most have made progress in developing literacy policies, they often lack focus on the groups most at risk, such as boys, children from disadvantaged households and migrant children. EU Education Ministers have set a target to reduce the share of poor readers from 20 % to less than 15 % by 2020. Only Belgium (Flemish Community), Denmark, Estonia, Poland and Finland have already achieved this target. It also reveals that only eight countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom) provide reading specialists at schools to support teachers and pupils. The Eurydice report is an important input to the work of the High Level Group of experts in the field of literacy, set up by Commissioner Vassiliou in January 2011. The group is examining how to support literacy at all ages and which policy initiatives and programmes have been successful. The group will make policy proposals by mid-2012. Appended are: (1) Section 1.3/Table 1: Percentage of pupils in the fourth school year whose teachers report "waiting," "assigning extra homework," and providing "within classroom support" for pupils that begin to fall in reading, 2006; (2) Section 2.2/Table 1: Significant correlations between "taught reading" index and other variables, in participating EU-27 countries, 2006; (3) Section 2.2/Table 2: Significant correlations between "taught reading" index and other variables, by education system, 2006; (4) Section 2.2/Table 3: Perceived impact of attending CPD activities, by type, among teachers teaching reading, writing and literature at ISCED2 level, by education system, 2008; (5) Section 1.4/Initiatives for tackling reading difficulties: examples of good practice provided by national experts, 2009/10; and (6) Section 3.4/Main programmes for promoting reading in society, as reported by national experts, 2009/10; and (7) Section 1.2/List of documents used in the comparative analysis of reading literacy curricula and official guidelines. A glossary is included. Individual sections contain footnotes. (Contains 25 figures.)

There is an urgent need to address the social dimension of higher education more forcefully and coherently, particularly in view of the economic downturn across Europe. This is the conclusion of the new Eurydice report, which looks at national policies on access to higher education, funding and student support. The report, covering EU Member States, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey, suggests that countries are struggling to adapt their higher education systems to meet the challenges brought about by rapid societal change in recent years. In particular, they need to open up opportunities for more people to benefit from higher education, matching this objective with coherent measures, funding and monitoring to evaluate their impact. European leaders have agreed a headline target that 40% of 30-34 year olds should have a higher education qualification by 2020--an increase from just over 33% today. The study focuses on three key topics: policies to widen participation in higher education; funding trends; and the impact of student fee and support systems. It reveals that approaches to meet shared European objectives vary greatly between countries and have different impacts on the performance of higher education. For example, there seems to be an East-West divide regarding routes to higher education for non-traditional candidates such as adult learners and people entering university on the basis of skills gained in the workplace rather than school qualifications. The report highlights changes in higher education spending in response to the crisis. Over the past academic year (2010/11 compared to 2009/10) budgets were most increased in Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Austria, France, Finland and Malta, while the deepest cuts were made in Greece, Ireland, Iceland, (8-10% decrease), as well as in Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (up to 3% decrease). A glossary is included. Individual chapters contain footnotes. (Contains 26 figures.)

This 2010 edition of the "Focus" report has been prepared for the European Ministerial Conference in Budapest/Vienna, 11-12 March 2010, that officially launches the European Higher Education Area. The report has been developed as a fully collaborative exercise between the Eurydice Network and the Bologna Follow-up Group (BFUG), with the aim of ensuring that information is as comprehensive, reliable and consistent as possible. The main aim of the report is to provide concise and clear information on key aspects of higher education systems in all 46 countries of the emerging European Higher Education Area at the end of the first Bologna decade. It focuses on the impact of Bologna process reforms, taking account of other significant contextual factors. The publication is divided into two main parts. The first part consists of a comparative overview of the main issues related to the implementation of the Bologna process. These aspects include the Bologna three-cycle degree structure, the implementation of the main Bologna tools--the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), the Diploma Supplement and National Qualifications Frameworks--the development of quality assurance systems, the social dimension of higher education, lifelong learning in higher education, student mobility and the impact of the economic crisis. The second part of the publication consists of comparable system information for all signatory countries giving an overview of key issues associated with the Bologna process. Each country table is accompanied by a higher education diagram showing the higher education degree structures and qualifications most commonly offered by higher education institutions. A glossary is included. (Contains 12 figures and 1 footnote.)