At the last session of the Steering Committee for Education Policy and Practices (CDPPE), held from September 30 to October 2, 2020, Prof. Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Ph.D., UNIRI Rector, was elected by secret ballot to the CDPPE Bureau as a representative of the academic community, along with Ms. Radka Wildová (Charles University, Prague). Ms. Maria Fassari (Greece) was elected as Chair of the CDPPE Bureau, and Ms. Maija Innola (Finland) as Vice-Chair.
The members of the Bureau are elected for the duration of the mandate of the Committee and may be renewed once, and the functions of the Bureau are:
– to assist the Chair in conducting the Committee’s business;
– to supervise the preparation of meetings at the Committee’s request;
– to ensure continuity between meetings as necessary;
– to execute other additional specific tasks delegated by its Committee.
Madam Rector Prijić-Samaržija has been a member of the CDPPE since 2019, and now, together with other members of the Bureau, she will advise the Committee of Ministers on issues in the field of higher education, with special emphasis on education for democracy.
CDPPE oversees the Council of Europe’s programs in the field of education and advises the Committee of Ministers on education issues. Governments of the 50 States Parties to the European Cultural Convention are represented in the Committee by senior officials from the general education and higher education sectors. Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the field of education are observers to the Committee.
Some of the CDPPE tasks are:
– exchange of ideas, information, and good practice among its members on issues concerning education;
– promoting and facilitating co-operation and understanding between member states;
– promoting reforms of education systems and policies to further democratic competences and participation:
– development of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA);
– providing advice for policy-makers and education professionals in States Parties to the European Cultural Convention in implementing education policies in line with the program of activities adopted by the Committee of Ministers.