Education Summit

First European Education Summit in Brussels on 25 January, 2018 Ready to discover what Europe will gain by investing smartly in education?  Interested in exploring how education can transmit shared values? Want to learn how to better reach out to disadvantaged learners? Then join us on 25 January 2018 in Brussels for the first Education Summit. Hosted by Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, the Summit will focus on the low achievement in basic skills of young people across Europe, the urgent need to address inequalities in education systems and better investment in education.

Education has a vital role to play in building fair and inclusive societies. The 2015 PISA survey showed that 20% of pupils in the EU underachieve in reading, science and maths and that the trend is worse in comparison with 2012. This implies that one in five students is unable to successfully complete basic tasks essential for modern living.

The need to understand what one reads, the ability to solve a maths equation and to be a competent user of digital tools are precursors to social inclusion and employability. In Europe, all children and young people should have the opportunity to realise their full potential and positively contribute to society.  However, reality shows that the talents of millions of young people are lost each year: poorer students are three times more likely to be low performers than wealthier students.1 Improving the quality of education and raising the basic skills levels of all pupils and students, including their digital and STEM2 skills, is a smart investment and the best way of addressing inequalities.  

Against this background, the Summit will explore how to capture the latest knowledge and insights into education and discuss how to turn these aspirations into reality. It will bring the education world and the wider world together - Ministers, academics, stakeholders and civil society – in order to work towards a high-level political consensus on tackling inequality in and through education as a means to address underachievement in basic skills and foster social cohesion. The Summit will take place in The Square, Place du Mont Des Arts 1000, Brussels, Belgium. We look forward to seeing you there. An invitation and programme will follow in the Autumn.