EU Commissioner Gabriel and European Committee of Regions (CoR) President Lambertz encourage the CoR members to involve all schools in EU Code Week 2019
Publication date: March 26, 2019
On 25 March 2019, European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, responsible for the Digital Economy and Society, and Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the European Committee of Regions (CoR) encouraged all 350 member of the CoR to involve primary and secondary schools in their region to take part in the next edition of EU Code Week, which will take place from 5-20 October 2019.
They hope that “by intensifying efforts we will help the education systems embrace the use of digital technologies and ensure that all students have the opportunity to become creators of digital content, beyond being passive consumers of digital services.”
You can read the full letter below and find the Committee of Region members from your country here.
Brussels 25, March 2019
Dear colleagues,
Digitisation is gaining speed in Europe and we need to step up efforts on all levels to ensure that all Europeans have the right skills to use digital technology.
In 23 Member States, National Digital Skills Coalitions bring together business, national authorities, social partners, education providers and other stakeholders to tackle the digital skills gap. To strengthen their actions and outreach, we would welcome the active participation of regional authorities in existing coalitions as well as their contribution to the setting up of national coalitions in those Member States without one at present.
We also need to intensify our efforts to reach young people, as a worrying 15% of those between 16 and 24 of age do not have basic digital skills.
In the Digital Education Plan of 2018, the European Commission put forward 11 actions to support Member States in embracing digital transformation in education. A flagship action in this context is EU Code Week – a grassroots movement supported by the European Commission that aims to bring programming and related technology skills to people of all ages and especially children in primary and secondary schools. Code Week offers all students the possibility to make their first steps as digital creators, by providing schools and teachers free professional development opportunities, teaching materials and opportunities for cross-border exchange.
In 2018, more than 2.7 million people participated in EU Code Week in 72 countries and the vast majority of activities were carried out in schools. This means that around 10% of all schools in Europe were reached. Now, the Commission aims to give students in at least 50% of all schools an understanding of coding and the development of crucial competences related to computational thinking, such as problem solving, collaboration and analytical skills by 2020.
To reach this goal, we need your help, in full respect of your competences and the principle of subsidiarity, to encourage all primary and secondary schools in your region to get involved in
EU Code Week, which will take place from 5-20 October 2019. Making Europe more digital starts at the local and regional level. We hope that by intensifying efforts we will help the education systems embrace the use of digital technologies and ensure that all students have the opportunity to become creators of digital content, beyond being passive consumers of digital services.
For more information please contact your local Code Week ambassador(s) or the colleagues at the Commission working with Code Week (see attached contacts).
Mariya Gabriel
EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society
Karl-Heinz Lambertz
President of the European Committee of the
Regions
