1. Aims
* to influence European educational policy
* to be a vehicle for relevant European Programmes
* te sustain the various member organisations
* to improve the quality of European schoolleadership
* to seek to extend its professional influence in the rest of the world
2. Means
2.1 Influencing European educational policy
In general ESHA has four possibilities to get access to the European decision makers
a. Approaching the Board of Minsters of EU;
b. Being in touch with the European parliament;
b. Directly contacting the European Commissioner, Mrs Reding;
c. Talking with European civil servants, for instance the Directorate for Education and Culture.
ad a The Board of Ministers have a meeting every month and have a strong influence on eachother, although education is not formally centralised. The best way to get in touch with the Board is by a coordinated action via the National Esha Centres. The lead should be taken by the Executive Board in cooperation with the NEC of the country with the European Presidency (Sweden 1rst half, Belgium 2nd half of 2001).
ad b The European Parliament discusses every now and then educational topics. For instance Quality evaluation. Its discussions are looked upon as indications for European policy. ESHA will set up a modest lobby with some members of the European Parliament.
ad c ESHA will continue the direct discussions with the European Commissioner.
ad.d The civil servants are important in two ways. They assist in preparing and evaluating the regulations for all the European programmes. They have some space in experimenting on certain topics, without being forced to get approvals from all the European countries. In that way the Directorate is an important factor in sustaining educational innovations.
ESHA will stay in close formal and informal touch with the head of the Directorate Education and Culture.
2.2 Being a vehicle for relevant European programmes
* ESHA is formally involved in the evaluation of SOCRATES I.
Being this ESHA influenced SOCRATES II
* ESHA will continue to comment on the aims, rules and regulations of the relevant programmes, in cooperation with other European partners, e.g. teachers (AEDE and ETUCE), parents (EPA) and students (OBESSU).
2.3 Sustaining the various memberorganisations
* ESHA will continue the bilateral contacts within Europe as has been agreed upon during the Paris meeting in november 1999.
* ESHA will play a very active role in the acquisition of new members in the primary sector.
* ESHA will try to set up or take care of schoolleaders’organisations in those countries which have no active representation in ESHA.
* ESHA will continue and extend its contacts wit the EUN by cooperating in the setting up of a virtual School Managers Centre as a subdivision of the European School Net.
* ESHA will actualise the ESHA website.
2.4 Improving the quality of European schoolleadership
* ESHA will go on to try to set up an international in-service training project
* During its meetings ESHA will seize every opportunity to exchange educational and managerial information between its members. In the year 2001 it might be quality evaluation in education and management.
(How do you measure good education and how do you measure good schoolleadership?)
2.5 To seek to extend its professional influence in the rest of the world.
ESHA will not take important steps in this field. Staying in touch with the international confederation of principals (ICP) and the American principals seems enough.
3. Realisation and limits
All this means that ESHA must be an active organisation with central and decentral lobbying possibilities. That requires:
|
|
activity |
cost Euro |
|
1 |
professional lobby in Brussels (1 day person plus equipment) |
20.000,- |
|
2 |
technical secretariat |
22.000,- |
|
3 |
active President (1 day) |
15.000,- |
|
4 |
active Executive Board (1/2 day) |
15.000,- |
|
5 |
actualised and vivid website (1/2 day) |
7.500,- |
|
6 |
EB travelling |
15.000,- |
|
7 |
Well frequented General Boardmeetings (2 per year) |
30.000,- |
|
8 |
Active National ESHA Centres |
p.m. |
|
9 |
Special Projects |
p.m. |
|
10 |
Yearly donation to ESHA’s financial position |
p.m. |
|
10 |
Total |
126.500,- |
ESHA incomes are much less than the required amount of Euro’s (this year around 40.000,- Euro’s) ESHA needs a more realistic and pragmatic approach on the one hand and a raise of income on the other hand.
Since 5 years the member associations pay the travelling and hotel costs of the General Boardmeetings themselves.
Whenever possible ESHA tries to combine Boardmeetings with expert meetings for one or another project, in case this project is sponsored by an external partner.
So far there was no financial possibility for a Brussels connection.
All this means that the level of realisation depends on the total amount of member organisation and of membershipfee.
The following actionplan is more or less based on an income of at least 41.000,- Euro.
4. Action Plan 2001
|
1 |
January |
* Meeting with European commissioner * EB meeting * EUN starting workshop (all combined) * Action plan for updating the website |
projectmoney and EB |
|
2 |
February March |
* Making arrangements about the autumn meeting * Contact NASSP * EUN starting workshop (all combined) |
EB |
|
3 |
16/17/18 March |
General Board in Luxemburg * EB position for primary head, * Update on training project, * Topics for spring depending on presidential country, * Strategy for approaching the Board of eductional ministers, * Financial results 2000, * Combined annual report 2000, * Working groups for primary and secondary education topics, * Action plan for bilateral contacts and/ or regional conferences
EB meeting with civil servants * Training project * European programme * Tendencies |
NECs, EB, GB |
|
4 |
April |
Cooperationial meeting with AEDE, EPA and OBESSU |
EB |
|
5 |
May |
EB meeting |
EB |
|
6 |
June |
Expert meeting in Brussels on European programmes |
EB |
|
7 |
July |
ICP meeting |
EB |
|
8 |
September |
* Meeting with European commissioner * EB meeting |
EB, projectmoney |
|
9 |
October |
Mini Project with EPA and OBESSU(if possible) |
? |
|
10 |
October/November |
General Board in Greek Republic * Topics see above * financial results so far, * presidential report 2001 * NEC’s annual report 2001 and objectives 2002, * action plan and budget 2002 * preparation of Lyon 2002 * working groups for primary and secondary topics
|
GB, EB, NEC’s |
|
11 |
December |
EB meeting with members European Parliament. EB meeting with civil servants
|
EB |
|
NB |
all months |
* bilateral contacts between EB members and the various NEC’s * looking for sponsors for Lyon 2002 * actualising the website |
|
|
NB |
autumn 2002 |
Final conference EUN + Conference Lyon |
GB |
|
|
|
|
|
Jan Gispen
ESHA President
EB February 2001