Intermediate report on the implementation of the SOCRATES Programme in Finland

Abstract

The member states of the EU were required to submit national reports on the implementation of the second phase of the Socrates Programme to the EU Commission by 30 September 2003. The major objectives of the reports are to contribute to the improvement of the implementation of the Programme, to lay a foundation for the national report to be completed by June 2007 and to provide data for an evaluation of the continuation of different actions at the end of the current Programme. At this point, reports shall primarily focus on programme relevance and efficiency, and, to the extent possible, on effectiveness.

In Finland, the evaluation was lead by the Finnish Ministry of Education. The evaluation was conducted at the Department of Education of the University of Helsinki. The national steering group included representatives from the Ministry of Education, the National Board of Education, the Finnish Socrates National Agency (CIMO) and experts from educational institutions. The evaluation report complies with the Commission's guidelines for national reports on the implementation of the Socrates Programme (SOC/COM/02/026rev2). Implementation of decentralised actions (Comenius 1.1., 1.2. and 1.3., Grundtvig 2. Erasmus mobility) is reviewed separately from implementation of centralised actions (Comenius 2. and 3., Erasmus IP, CD and DISS, Grundtvig 1, Lingua 1 and 2, Minerva, Joint Actions and Accompanied Measures) selected by the Commission.

The conclusions and recommendations presented in the report are based on available documents and data, including data collected specifically for the evaluation. Data sources include statistics and official information available at CIMO, the Ministry of Education, the Technical Assistance Office (TAO) of Socrates, Leonardo and Youth Programmes and the EU Commission for Education and Culture. The Socrates Programme Guidelines for Applicants, Socrates Call for Proposals for the years 2000-2003 and various leaflets and brochures produced by CIMO for the Socrates Programme were reviewed and utilised in the present evaluation. Additional data was collected through interviews, a survey and consultative discussions with experts on the Socrates Programme.

The Socrates Programme is highly relevant for the Finnish national educational policy. The over-all implementation appears to be successful. The programme is so well received that it has even guided educational institutions in their international pursuits. In view of the common agenda for educational policy and the Bologna Declaration, it is important to reconsider how the structure of the Programme could be further developed so that the political goals can be achieved. The Programme is fragmented, particularly when it comes to the small actions. Dissemination of results to other educational institutions is one of the main challenges in the implementation, particularly in larger projects. Some larger projects also tend to remain disintegrated from ordinary school or institutional activities and they are not integrated in the long-term planning of the schools or institutes. The integration of projects into the ordinary activities of educational institutions is more successful if projects involve a larger number of teachers simultaneously per school. It is important that the different forms of financial support for decentralised projects are further developed. Developing the databases for international statistics would be beneficial for evaluation purposes. The member countries of the European Union may benefit from an electronic pool of experts on the Socrates Programme. Benchmarking and peer reviews are worthwhile methods for exchanging experiences between member countries. The promotion of European language skills is a goal that requires attention. Mobility is worth developing, both in magnitude and flexibility in order for the political goals to be reached. The Programme can be effective in mainstreaming the goal of providing equal opportunities. In the case of Finland, geographically disadvantaged areas need more support. It is recommended that more attention be paid to the materialisation of the common horizontal educational policy goals of the EU in the Socrates Programme.