In April 2024, COFACE and the Irish CountryWomen’s Association co-hosted a European expert meeting on Life-long learning and bringing the family perspective to the education field.
In considering the burden of education on families, it is crucial to involve relevant organisations supporting families and relevant service providers in further transforming the education system. These organisations advocate for equitable access to education, highlight the consequences of relying solely on families, and promote policies that support educational equity and put them into practice. Collaborating with those organisations enables governments to develop more inclusive educational policies, considering the diverse needs of families and fostering a fair education system. COFACE advocates for educational policies and initiatives that support the diverse needs of families, ensure educational equity, and foster a supportive learning environment for all types of families. It does this, especially through its European Family Lab.
European context
The European Pillar of Social Rights puts a strong focus on education and lifelong learning, and namely on guaranteeing the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions to the labour market. The 2023 European Year of Skills agenda aims to raise awareness around skills and the need to improve and develop skills to address skills shortages, while also helping people to get the right skills for good quality jobs through reskilling and upskilling.
Objectives of the European expert meeting
This expert meeting brought together speakers from Ireland and Europe to help pave the way for family-centred education and learning systems. The expert meeting was an opportunity to:
- Discuss the links between education and social rights
- Spotlight the diversity of educational approaches by featuring professionals working with families in different EU countries, to share their insights on developing learning materials by-with-for families;
- Build partnerships with key education stakeholders at national and European level