EU Targets Central Asian Education
EU Targets Central Asian Education
The European Union has pledged to support education programmes in Central Asia as a part of its new strategy in the region, a move which NBCentralAsia observers say will strengthen Europe’s regional presence by helping shape future leaders.
On March 28, an EU troika delegation led by German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met his Central Asian counterparts in the Kazak capital to discuss the EU’s new strategy for the region. Education was given a clear emphasis, with the EU pledging to develop secondary education and vocational training programmes as well as student exchanges and academic cooperation projects.
The regional head of the European Commission delegation, Adrian van der Meer, told Gazeta.kz news agency that the EU plans to spend 4.4 million euro on an exchange programme for students and teachers in 2008.
NBCentralAsia commentators say the EU’s plans will give it a stronger role in the region by involving it in educating future leaders in each country.
“When thousands of students from Asia and Africa studied in the Soviet Union, they were there for a reason – the USSR promoted its interests through them,” said political scientist Eduard Poletaev.
This education initiative fits neatly with one of the aims of the EU’s “Lisbon strategy” – boosting research capacity. According to Poletaev, in return for educating Central Asia’s youth, the EU will be able to draw on the best minds in the region.
“The EU has already announced it will spend 54 billion euro on science in the next five years. Europe has to meet the competition and turn itself into a centre of innovation. To that end, the EU is planning to recruit scientists from abroad since European universities and research centres are currently short of experts,” said Poletaev.
According to analyst Petr Svoik, the EU has played the role of passive observer in Central Asia in recent years, but now it is becoming an active player because of the region’s increasing importance to the world energy market.
In the area of education, the EU has decided to copy the United States and Turkey, whose government- and privately-run exchange programmes have become very popular in the region.
Experts suggest that Kazakstan stands to benefit most from Europe’s new-found interest in the region’s education. Of the five Central Asian, countries, Kazakstan’s people have most in common with European values. Some of the country even lies within Europe from the point of view of geography.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
On March 28, an EU troika delegation led by German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met his Central Asian counterparts in the Kazak capital to discuss the EU’s new strategy for the region. Education was given a clear emphasis, with the EU pledging to develop secondary education and vocational training programmes as well as student exchanges and academic cooperation projects.
The regional head of the European Commission delegation, Adrian van der Meer, told Gazeta.kz news agency that the EU plans to spend 4.4 million euro on an exchange programme for students and teachers in 2008.
NBCentralAsia commentators say the EU’s plans will give it a stronger role in the region by involving it in educating future leaders in each country.
“When thousands of students from Asia and Africa studied in the Soviet Union, they were there for a reason – the USSR promoted its interests through them,” said political scientist Eduard Poletaev.
This education initiative fits neatly with one of the aims of the EU’s “Lisbon strategy” – boosting research capacity. According to Poletaev, in return for educating Central Asia’s youth, the EU will be able to draw on the best minds in the region.
“The EU has already announced it will spend 54 billion euro on science in the next five years. Europe has to meet the competition and turn itself into a centre of innovation. To that end, the EU is planning to recruit scientists from abroad since European universities and research centres are currently short of experts,” said Poletaev.
According to analyst Petr Svoik, the EU has played the role of passive observer in Central Asia in recent years, but now it is becoming an active player because of the region’s increasing importance to the world energy market.
In the area of education, the EU has decided to copy the United States and Turkey, whose government- and privately-run exchange programmes have become very popular in the region.
Experts suggest that Kazakstan stands to benefit most from Europe’s new-found interest in the region’s education. Of the five Central Asian, countries, Kazakstan’s people have most in common with European values. Some of the country even lies within Europe from the point of view of geography.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
