The Unifying Aspects of Cultures

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Section: Intercultural Education

Mikael Luciak (Vienna)
Education of Ethnic Minorities in the 15 EU Member States - A Comparative Analysis

It is an accepted opinion in many European countries that the educational attainment of some ethnic minority groups lags behind the achievements of the countries' majority populations. However, scientifically founded knowledge and statistical data about educational success and failure of ethnic minorities in the EU Member States still varies to a great extent. This presentation will focus on the current standard of knowledge regarding the educational situation of ethnic minorities in the European Union. It will highlight existing and non-existing data and the different categories used in the data collection process in each country. Furthermore, the situation of the most vulnerable groups which face low school success, discrimination or segregation as well as new school programs, initiatives and policies which support diversity in the field of education will be discussed. The findings are based on national reports that were analysed in the framework of an EU-wide comparative study that the author conducted for the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) in 2003.

THE UNIFYING ASPECTS OF CULTURES

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