EU sees investment in education as crucial
Greece needs to make better use of structural funds, European Union Education Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou told Kathimerini yesterday.
The Greek-Cypriot commissioner said that ?Greek public investment in education and professional training is among the lowest in the EU,? adding that safeguarding existing investment is ?is crucial for both country?s short- and long-term sustainable development.?
Vassiliou noted that another issue that should be high on the agenda is curbing dropout trends throughout Europe. Citing recent data, she said that European schools have an average dropout rate of 14 percent, while Greek schools see 14.5 percent of their students giving up on their studies before high school. ?This,? said Vassiliou, ?means that one in seven faces a serious risk of being unemployed… and becoming dependent on social benefits.?
She added that Greece must push through tertiary education reforms and ?increase the number of university graduates to reach the 32 percent target.?
