EDUCATION in Ireland has enjoyed unprecedented change in the past few years, much of it funded by EU money. Ireland is one of only two member states Portugal is the other spending large amounts of structural funds on education, according to a senior European Commission source. "In so far as national governments determine the priorities of using the structural funds, Ireland has exhausted the possibilities of using the structural funds for education," says the source. In fact Ireland is spending over half the money received from the EU Operational Programme for Human Resources Development on education.

Ireland tops the league for spending per student at first and second level in the EU. Britain is third from the bottom.

According to Tom O'Dwyer, director general of the European Commission's training and youth division, DG XXII, "when the second round of structural funds were being discussed, Ireland was active in ensuring that some of this money would be available for education and training".

During this decade a major shift in attitude toward education has taken place at Commission level, explains Dr John Coolahan, professor of education at St Patrick's College, Maynooth. Until the early 1990s the EU took little interest in education. It was the Maastricht Treaty which gave the Commission the green light to take a more active role. "Articles 126 and 127 of the Maastricht Treaty focus on education and training," says Coolahan. "They give a greater basis for the development of education and training policies."

Article 126 of the Treaty states. "The community shall contribute to the development of quality education by encouraging co operation between member states and, if necessary, by supporting and supplementing their action, while fully respecting the responsibility of the member states for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity."

As a result, says Coolahan, "education and training have moved centre stage as an issue". EU ministers for education now meet as a council.

Cynics would argue that recent Irish education policy has been tailored to meet what's on offer in Europe. However, the official line points more to serendipity a fortuitous coincidence that Irish policy in both the Green and White Papers was being formulated at a time when the EU was working on its own White Paper.

Last year Brussels published Teaching And Learning Towards A Learning Society, the Commission's first White Paper on education. Unlike our White Papers which are usually the forerunners of legislation, it is not a policy blueprint but an analysis of the educational needs and recommendations for action.

There is no harmonised EU legislation on education. Indeed, the EU would be extremely reluctant to legislate in this area, recognising that it is the responsibility of the member states. Britain and Germany are seen as the countries which would most object to an EU education policy Britain because of the sovereignty issue and Germany because policy is formulated by the states, the leader, which make up the federal republic.

The EU White Paper identifies three major challenges Europe new information technology which is changing the nature of work and employment patterns the globalistation of markets and the acceleration of scientific and technical knowledge.

BRUSSELS sees a future in which individuals will be called upon to understand complex situations which will change in unforeseeable ways". This may result in a rift in society between those who know, the educated, and those who don't know, the uneducated, and the formation of an underclass dependent on social welfare.

"The main challenge to this kind of society is to reduce the gap between these groups while enabling the progress and development of all human resources," the document says.

The White Paper points to a report of the Round Table of European Industrialists Michael Smurfit is the Irish representative which stresses the Weed for flexible training. "The essential mission of education," say the industrialists, "is to help everyone to develop their own potential and become a complete human being as opposed to a tool at the service of the economy the acquisition of knowledge and skills should go hand in hand with building character, broadening outlook and accepting one's responsibility in society."

The White Paper sees Europe's very identity over the next millennium depending on giving priority to education and training. "Social exclusion has reached such intolerable proportions that the rift between those who have knowledge and those who don't has to be narrowed," it stresses.

All of this heartens Professor Coolahan "I can see a tremendous coalescing of interests here. Industrialists are calling for a broadly based education system, the politicians are taking the issue more seriously and the trade unions, particularly at international level, are accepting the fact that we need a flexible and adaptable work force. These are agencies that have clout. Educationalists can talk a great deal, but nothing happens."

THE Commission's White Paper sets out five objectives to encourage the acquisition of new knowledge to bring schools and businesses closer together to combat exclusion to develop proficiency in three European languages and to treat capital investment and investment in training on an equal basis.

The growing significance of education in economic development was highlighted when the EU designated 1996 as the Year of Lifelong Learning. The EU recognises that education no longer stops at a particular age in order to cope with change, we all now have to learn and retrain throughout our lives.

Ireland has played a significant role in the Year of Lifelong Learning, according to Coolahan. "During its EU presidency, Ireland presented two papers one on a strategy for life long learning and one on greater school effectiveness which were accepted as EU policy by 15 ministers of the Commission.

The EU has appointed a high level study group on education and training of which Coolahan is vice president. Its report, Accomplishing Europe Through Education And Training, recommends that the EU adopt a general aim to serve as a guide for the different education systems of member states. It stresses equal opportunities for personal development, high level achievement and social integration.

THE REPORT stresses that Europe wishes to remain competitive, that it will not resign itself to having an irreducible core of socially excluded people and that it wants to promote the development and education of active citizens. It notes that if education standards are to rank among the best in the world along with Japan, Finland and the United States more money will have to be allocated. This would be of the order of a full percentage point of GDP resources on top of what is already being spent.

Although little debate has taken place in Ireland on EU educational policy, the White Paper has raised some hackles. "I was very surprised and disappointed with it," comments Professor John Kelly, former UCD registrar and consultant to DGXII. "European universities have changed profoundly to relate more closely to the outside world. Adult education and life long and continuing education programmes, university industry co-operation in curriculum development, to name but a few, have mushroomed in recent years. Yet the White Paper sees no role whatsoever for the universities in shaping the future."