Europe – School Cuts Will Sacrifice the Future

When the European Students’ Union begins its biannual convention Wednesday in the Cypriot resort of Limassol, its leadership will be focusing on one issue: cutbacks in education.

Governments in many countries in the European Union are cutting back so much on education that when the E.U. economy recovers, it will be difficult to sustain growth, student union leaders say. “We want governments and the E.U. to invest more in higher education, in training and in young people in general,” the union’s vice chairman, Rok Primozic, said.

“But the point we really want to make is that if European governments continue to cut back on education, they are also cutting back on skills. Don’t governments see that, because of the cutbacks, we will not emerge from the financial crisis stronger and more competitive?”

Judging from a report published this month by the European Commission for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, governments see it differently. Under pressure to cut their budget deficits and make savings, 16 E.U. countries have reduced or frozen teachers’ salaries…

via School Cuts Will Sacrifice the Future – NYTimes.com.