Digital Education and how some E.U. countries from the Black Sea Region are coping with it

De Vanesa Manolachi

When used wisely and equitably, digital technology may be a powerful tool, allowing for online or blended learning at a time, place, and pace that is appropriate to the individual learner. Importantly, the type and design of tools, as well as approach, may have a direct influence on whether individuals are included or excluded from learning.
The pandemic has exposed several issues for education and training systems linked to educational and training institutions’ digital capacities, teacher training, and general levels of digital skills and competencies.
It will be presented how several countries (Romania, Greece, and Bulgaria) utilize or do not use digital education, as well as how the European Union assists them in this regard.
Romania adopted a national Digital Agenda strategy in 2015, outlining measures until 2020 in important sectors, such as the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education. Only 57% of young Romanians aged 16 to 19 have basic or above-basic digital skills (EU average: 82%). ICT is an optional subject in elementary school and, as of 2017, a required subject in lower secondary school. However, schools in rural regions, which educate 43% of students, are less equipped to deliver digital education due to a lack of educated teachers and a lack of digital infrastructure (European Commission, 2020a).
According to the OECD’s 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey, over 70% of lower secondary teachers say they are well or very well equipped to utilize digital techniques in teaching, while 21% reported a strong need for professional development in ICT skills (EU average: 18%) (OECD, 2019a).
In comparison to the EU average, far fewer schools are fully digitally equipped and linked. Only 14% of Romanian students in elementary school (EU average: 35%), 16% in lower secondary (EU average: 52%), and 31% in upper secondary education (EU average: 72%) attend such schools (European Commission, 2019).
According to the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey, 44% of Bulgarian teachers in lower secondary schools use ICT in most or all their lessons, which is somewhat lower than the EU average of 47% (OECD, 2019). Although Bulgarian teachers find digital tools beneficial, effective integration of technology in the classroom is lacking; teachers specifically mention a lack of technical equipment and relevant goods, as well as a lack of skills and time in the curriculum. During the COVID-19 school shutdown, there was a clear need for training on how to incorporate technology into teaching, with two-thirds of respondents in a recent survey having no prior experience dealing with online platforms or distance learning programs (European Commission, 2020a).
The national program „Digital Bulgaria 2025” outlines Bulgaria’s goals for modernization and broad adoption of intelligent IT solutions in all sectors of the economy and society. The proposed program is an extension of the National Program “Digital Bulgaria 2015”. The program’s aims include strengthening digital competencies and skills through supporting ICT research and innovation, modernizing school and postsecondary education in the field of ICT, expanding the number of highly trained ICT specialists, and boosting the workforce’s digital skills (Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Bulgaria, 2021).
According to the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, just one-third of students in Greece attend schools with adequate digital devices. Only 14% of students attend schools with enough skilled technical assistance workers, the lowest proportion in the EU (Reimers and Schleicher, 2020).
In April 2020, emergency legislation was approved that allowed municipalities to spend the money saved on operating costs during school closures to purchase ICT equipment for students in need. Procedures for purchasing servers, software licenses, and equipment for higher education institutions (HEIs) have been streamlined until mid-June 2020. All devices will become part of schools’ ICT equipment after being loaned to students (mainly from underprivileged groups) and teachers, for distance learning reasons. Universities were given additional technical platforms to supplement their current infrastructure. Legislation enacted in June 2020 provides for further familiarization with digital content in kindergarten on a trial basis, as well as reinforcing digital education at the secondary level (European Commission, 2020a).
But what impact does the European Union have on digital education? The Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) is a renewed European Union (EU) policy initiative to promote the long-term and successful adaptation of EU Member States’ education and training systems to the digital era.
The Action Plan identifies 2 key areas: 1. Fostering the development of a high-performing digital education ecosystem (infrastructure, connectivity, and digital equipment; digitally competent and confident teachers and education and training staff, etc.); 2. Enhancing digital skills and competencies for the digital transformation (basic digital skills and competencies from an early age; advanced digital skills; ensuring that girls and young women are equally represented in digital studies and careers) (European Commission, 2020b).
In Bulgaria, the European Social Fund (ESF)-funded program „Education for tomorrow” has provided teachers with training in a variety of subjects, including digital skills. The project’s goal is to advance digital technologies by developing a platform for educational services and digital content (European Commission; Erasmus+ Program of the European Union, 2020).
The „WI-FI Campus” initiative in Romania is providing at least 2.000 schools with the technical infrastructure required to utilize open educational materials, as well as 4.500 gymnasiums with wireless technology, this project being co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (EUR 38 million). The ‘Electronic Catalogue’ (EUR 40 million) will thereafter help implement online high school enrollment, electronic class registrations, and the online evaluation of written national examinations (European Commission, 2020a).
In Greece, the continuance of the digital equipment provision initiative for schools, which is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and national sources, is planned to assist 7.350 primary and secondary schools in total from 2014 to 2020 (OECD, 2019b).
To summarize, to be successful in the future workplace, people will need to have proper digital education. Whether in school, university, or the workplace, the ongoing digital change is making IT skills more crucial by the day. As a result, each country should focus on this sector, either on its own or with the assistance of the European Union, to boost national economic growth.

Bibliography

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