Note to the Secretary General
of the European Schools

Dear Mr. Beckmann,

We hope this letter finds you well. We are writing to you on behalf of Renouveau et Démocratie (R&D), the union representing the staff of all major European Institutions.

Our organization is committed to supporting the European Schools system, ensuring it remains a model of

high-quality, multilingual, and multicultural education.

In April and June 2024, Renouveau et Démocratie organized two significant conferences titled « Looking to the Future of the European Schools System: Drawing Lessons from the Present. » These events provided a platform for in-depth discussions on the future of the European Schools, drawing valuable insights from current challenges. We were honored to have the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr. Antonio Cenini, actively participate in these discussions.

The event referred to the April 2024 Action Plan and Follow-up to the 2022 Report of the European Parliament and the Parma declaration Reflection on the Future of the European Schools’ System. These documents outline strategic initiatives and reflections that are vital for the future development of the European Schools system. We are keen to understand how these plans are currently being implemented under your responsibility and their impact on achieving the goals of the European Education Area (EEA).

Although many questions were answered by the Chairman during these conferences, we are now seeking further clarity. After one year of the discussions in the European Parliament, we are particularly interested in understanding the concrete actions that demonstrate the European Schools system’s commitment to contributing to the goals of the EEA, promoting a cohesive and high-quality educational framework across Europe.

The purpose of this letter is to present a list of still open or unanswered questions that are specifically linked to the responsibilities of the Secretariat-General of the European Schools, representing the Board of Governors.

These questions are crucial for ensuring the continued success and smooth operation of the European Schools system.

They are as follows:

1. What steps are being taken to address the overcrowding of European Schools in Brussels, and what measures are planned for 2025 and beyond to ensure adequate capacity and quality of education?
   

2. Locally recruited teachers face significant issues, including contracts outside European law, pay discrepancies between primary and secondary teachers, and a lack of independent representation and support. Urgent measures needed include moving contracts to local national law, addressing pay inequality, recognizing teachers’ professional status, and introducing legally protected union representatives and an external ombudsman. What actions are being concretely planned by the Office of the Secretary-General European Schools to ensure that the contractual and working conditions of locally recruited teachers are fully in line with EU and Member State employment laws and principles, as called for by the European Parliament?  What are the obstacles to improve the framework contract and the evaluation process of teachers under local contract?
   

3. How can European Schools improve the process of assigning language sections to bi-or trilingual nursery-level children to better reflect their true capabilities and parental preferences?
   

4. The last report of the European parliament delivers very serious criticism about the lack of inclusivity for pupils in need of a special arrangement which makes it difficult for them to participate in the schoolwork as other pupils. What measures are currently concretely implemented trough the 2024 Action Plan to ensure European Schools provide consistent and adequate accommodations for disabled children, including better internal communication, monitoring mechanisms, and appropriate budget allocation for support?
   

5. The implementation of the Cicurel report 2022/2149(INI) in European Schools aims to address key challenges and improve educational quality; what specific measures are being taken to ensure its recommendations are effectively put into practice, particularly regarding the inclusion policy and support for special needs students?
   How is Office of the Secretary-General European Schools require each European schools to react and is involving stakeholders and experts, including parents of children with disabilities, parents with disabilities, and pupils concerned, in the process?
   

6. How can European Schools address the issue of excessive pricing for additional services to ensure affordability for lower-grade officials and agents, especially those with multiple children?
   

7. Many schools across Europe are already introducing bans or restrictions on mobile phone use due to concerns about their impact on young people’s mental health and academic performance. Is there any task force monitoring the impact of the 2024-2025 Brussels schools’ smartphone ban on pedagogy? Are there plans for the European Schools system to be proactive in addressing issues like smartphone use in schools rather than following Member States’ policies?
   

8. When will the Board of Governors of the European Schools finally recognize the need to set up official policy on the use of mobile phones in European schools?
   

9. The autonomy of the schools should not justify falling short of parents’ reasonable expectations regarding pedagogy and security, such as the lack of effective supervision and disciplinary actions for teachers who use physical punishment. Governance must reflect accountability. Additionally, since the Commission funds the schools, any wrongdoing poses a reputational risk for the Commission. How does the Office of the Secretary-General of the European Schools ensure that the decisions and policies of the Board of Governors are effectively implemented across all European Schools?
   Could governance tools be deployed to ensure an effective, clear, and enforced sanctioning system for teachers who apply inappropriate pedagogical methods? The current system places too much responsibility on the sole Director and lacks a centralized register of incidents or a mechanism for parents to file complaints.
   
   
10. A new accredited school has been recognized this 2025 in Belgium, the European School of Brussels-Argenteuil (EEBA) located in Waterloo. What processes are involved in organizing the accreditation procedure for Accredited European Schools in Belgium at federal and regional levels? At European level how are the operations and level of services audited and checked over time to ensure consistency and quality after accreditation, and to avoid parents incurring extra costs? Could the BoG introduce in the framework agreement a common standard for costs reporting in accredited schools? (necessary for parents and their employers)
    
    
11. Concerns persist regarding the limited linguistic offer in accredited schools, with some restricting SWALS (Students Without A Language Section) mother tongue classes despite fee-paying pupils. Could the European Schools provide statistics on the evolution of EN, FR, DE, IT, and SWALS section enrolments over the past decade? SWALS pupils often receive insufficient L1 education due to « vertical grouping. » Could this practice be reconsidered? Additionally, how many locally recruited L1 SWALS teachers left the European School of Varese after its introduction? Given discrepancies in mother tongue lesson hours compared to home countries, can adjustments be made to support multicultural integration?
    
    
12. There have been an increasing number of complaints regarding the setting up and marking of the European Baccalaureate exams. Students, parents, and teachers have raised concerns that exam papers include questions not aligned with the curriculum. Specific topics that were either not taught at all or only mentioned briefly are being tested in depth, which is unfair to students. Many complaints highlight a lack of quality control and communication between those setting the exams, teaching the curriculum, and inspecting the teaching. This issue is particularly problematic for European School (EE) students compared to students from Member States, due to the unpredictable and unfair nature of the exams. The situation is further exacerbated by the number of locally hired teachers in EEs who are not inspected by national inspectors, leading to a disconnection between exam setters and curriculum teachers. Does the Office of the Secretary-General of the European Schools recognize this problem? If so, what plans are in place to address it? Given the recurring issues with BAC exam questions being outside the syllabus, what control mechanisms are being implemented to prevent this? Can we expect improvements in the future? Additionally, are there any plans to develop harmonized teaching manuals to ensure more coherence in teaching, especially at the secondary level?

We believe that addressing these questions will significantly contribute to the ongoing improvement and success of the European Schools system. Renouveau et Démocratie remains committed to collaborating with the Office of the Secretariat-General to achieve these goals.

Thank you for your attention to these important matters. We look forward to your response and to continuing our productive dialogue.

Yours sincerely,

On behalf of R&D – Renouveau et Démocratie

Signed                    Signed
Marco PINO         Aleksander KEDRA

 

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