Gábor HALÁSZ National Institute for Public Education , Budapest

1. EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND TRANSITION„15 Years On: Educational Transitions inCentral and Eastern Europe”Oxford, United Kingdom, 8-10 July 2005 Gábor HALÁSZNational Institute for Public Education, Budapest

2. The scope and perspective of this presentation • Education seen as an area of public policy • Focus on the macro (system) level • A systemic perspective (education as a subsystem in the broader social system) • Focus on the relationship between education other subsystems/public policy areas • Education seen as a changing system in a continuously changing environment

3. Thesis 1/3. • For the last 15 years countries in CEE have been going through two kinds of transitions • Transition 1.: from state-socialism to parliamentary democracy, market economy and pluralism • Transition 2.: from independent nation-state to membership in a wider political and economic community • The second transition is being superimposed on the first one

4. Thesis 2/3. • Transitions have transformed (1)the relationship between education and other public policy areas, and (2) representations and structures within education in two phases Phase 1 education detached from other policy areas (independence) simplistic views (back to the past/idealised picture of democracy) Phase 2 education re-attached to other policy areas (inter-dependence) emergence of a new dynamic, coping with complexity

5. Thesis 3/3. • None of the two transitions have a clear destination • parliamentary democracies and market economies are continuously challenged • Europe is an evolving political entity in an open-end process • Although transition remains a necessary notion (e.g. for the explanation of social anomalies) it might be more appropriate to talk about open futures and continuous change

6. The way to parliamentary democracy and market economy • In many CEE countries the restructuring of the economy is still going on, and economic recovery is not yet accomplished • The culture of parliamentary democracy and market economy is not yet deeply rooted (see the existence of populist and etatist movements) • After years of simplistic representations views about democracy and market economy became realistic

7. Democracy and market economy is something different than originally thought • Democracy and market economy (D+M) require an effective state that protects the rule of law and the rules of free competition • D+M do not solve immediately the inherited problems of low efficiency/productivity or that of the „culture of dependence” • There is a complex inter-dependence between education and society/economy in both D+M and planned economy (structural determinations) • New challenges and problems arise continuously in D+M

8. Education facing new challenges • Transition has not only leaved old problems unsolved but created new ones • Quality and relevance: What kind of quality and how to improve it? • Equity: A forgotten and re-discovered policy goal. • Efficiency: The most difficult legacy of the past that is not yet fully recognized. • Governance: How to manage an open system?

9. „Discovering” the EU • The European Union is… • a problem-community continuously facing new challenges • a community competing on the global scene • a community struggling with internal divisions • a community in transition („a moving target”) • The „surprise”: education has become an important area of common policy in the EU • a decade of growth (since Maastricht) • a further step ahead: the Lisbon Process

10. What do the new members states face in the European education scene? • Although no legal harmonisation is demanded (the easy closure of negotiation chapters)…, • …there is an increasing community activity related with education • LLL policy in the framework of the employment strategy of the EU • The educational aspects of other, highly europeanised policy areas (social policy, environment, consumer protection etc.) • OMC (benchmarks, indicators, reporting, peer control) • Control on resources: development (structural) policy

11. External control of developmenal resources: the impact of EU structural policy • The European Social Fund becomes the most important developmental resource • ESF regulations determine developmental goals • The Lisbon Strategy (enhancing transition to the knowledge economy) • The European Employment Strategy • European strategy for social inclusion • Common education policy goals (DWP) • New: the modernisation of European governance

12. External control of developmental resources: the impact of EU structural policy • All new member countries have a human resource development chapter in their NDP • 20-30% of resources is spent on HRD (table here) • The development of education in a LLL perspective in HRD chapters in all countries (examples) • Following 2007 this aspect will be reinforced as part of the Lisbon Strategy • All development resources are used in the framework of the NDP – few alternatives

13. What kind of transition(s)? • Transition 2. (EU integration) is superimposed on Transition 1 (Democracy and market economy ) and it is accelerating the shift from phase 1 to phase 2 • Phase 1: high level uncertainty and unrealistic representations; education detached from other social and economic areas • Phase 2: familiarising with complexity, emergence of new dynamic; education re-attached to other social and economic areas

14. The changing position of the education sector Inter-dependence Dependence The second phase of transition Independence The first phase of transition

15. The changing position of the education sector Dependence(before the changes) Independence(In the first phase of transition) Inter-dependence(In the second phase of transition) Features: Social-economic demands mediated by ruling party through coercion and ideological control Features:Enlarged professional freedom, relative detachment from external social-economic demands Features:Strengthening linkages with other sectors, and stronger exposition to social-economic demands

16. A transition from independence to inter-dependence/1 • Although placing education into the broader context of social-economic development and linking it with other areas of public policy is not new in the CEE countries… • …thinking in a lifelong learning perspective and managing an open system of education require, however, mental adaptation (e.g. local leaders connecting school education with community development)

17. A transition from independence to inter-dependence/2 • Using the EU structural funds for educational development compels educational leaders and players in CEE countries to make a mental shift towards LLL • Thinking about education in an integrated public policy framework is reinforced by the national planning framework of EU structural policies

18. The emergence of a new dynamic Emergence of new dynamic Closed system The second phase of transition Openness, uncertainty The first phase of transition

19. The emergence of new dynamic Closed system (before the changes) Uncertainty, openness Emergence of a new dynamic Features: Untouchable structures, rigid representations, no alternatives Features:Unstable structures, low level problem solving capacities, uncertainty, ready made imported answers Features:Emerging new structures and representations, developing problem solving capacities

20. The emergence of new dynamic • Representations, attitudes: • Openness and uncertainty seen as inherent features of the system • Waning of the „complaining culture” • Emergence of a new „project culture” • Mental management of complexity (eg. thinking in alternative scenarios) • Structures, organisational features • Designing and managing projects • Organisational development and quality regimes • Agencies, contractual relations

21. Summing up: two phases – two transitions Transition 1 Transition 2 Phase 1 Destruction of old structures and idealised representations on parliamentary democracy and market economy Idealised representations on EU, no direct implications on the daily management of the system Phase 2 Emergence of new structures and representations and improved problem solving capacity Daily working relationship with the EU, europeanisation of domestic education policy

22. Is the notion of transition still appropriate? • Yes…, on the one hand: • there is still a move from one point to another (e.g. from independence to inter-dependence) • and this is reinforced by the superimposition of transition 2. to transition 1. • No…, on the other: • there is no fix point to reach on the way from the „old” to the „new” • what used to be perceived as transition might be the normal state of things

23. Concluding questions • Should the transition from independence to inter-dependence be enhanced? If yes, how? • Should we expect the end of transition or should we accept to live in continuous change? • If the answer is yes, how to improve the adaptive capacity of the system and that of the people? • How to enhance organisational learning and policy experimentation in education? • How to develop skills and capacities needed for organisational and policy learning?

24. Thank you for your attention!