Since early April, we have been running this update on how education systems in the EU Europe region are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. We focus on how different countries are dealing with the challenges that the virus has placed on schools and universities, including how they are managing school leavers' and university entry examinations, and the different country contexts across Europe. For more information, updates, webinars and other engagement opportunities, please see ‘Europe and education: Stay connected during Covid-19’.

We focus on ten priority countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Romania and Spain. This week: France, Germany and Ireland.

  • France: HEIs open and re-close - some due to Covid-19, some due to practicalities of wearing masks in class during heatwave
  • Germany: Schools return across Germany and Abitur results now released in all states
  • Ireland: 2,000 additional places available for university after high grades, despite concerns about international student numbers this year

If a country you’re interested in doesn’t appear here, or if you would like more details, please check past updates or contact the country representative. 

We have restarted English examinations in 30 countries in Europe. For the latest update by country, please check: https://www.ielts.org/news/2020/changes-to-ielts-test-arrangements-in-some-locations-due-to-novel-coronavirus. 

If you have any feedback, please contact me or any of the country staff listed below. 

Thank you - and stay safe. 

Almut Caspary – Higher Education and Research Lead, EU Europe (Almut.Caspary@britishcouncil.org). 

FRANCE

Updated 15 September

The period that people must isolate if they test positive for Covid-19 or are in contact with known patients has been reduced from 14 to seven days, as studies have shown that most Covid-19 contamination occurs within two and five days of the first symptoms. It is hoped that this reduced period of isolation will be better respected by people in France, as there were concerns that few were keeping to the 14-day isolation period. 

With numbers of positive tests rising, those who want to get tested now expect to queue for several hours and wait several days for results. The government has introduced prioritisation so that healthcare workers, people with symptoms, and those who have been in contact with someone known to have the virus get tested first.

School and university closures

Not all HEIs have started their academic year yet; some universities postponed their start dates or have organised a staged start.

Out of those that started to deliver face-to-face courses, about 15 have now had to pivot to online courses for a couple of weeks (either for part of the HEI or all) because of numerous cases of Covid-19 among students. Although all integration events were forbidden by the Ministry of Higher Education, most of the new Covid-19 cases among students have been due to attending private parties.

Remote and online academic provision

Interestingly, one university in Lyon has decided to switch to online teaching since 14 and 15 September, not because of Covid-19 cases but because of a heatwave in France. The university decided that it would be inappropriate to teach and learn while wearing a mask all day in these conditions.

Regarding online teaching as a whole, the National Council for Higher Education and Research is starting to question the lack of a framework for distance education: 'There is a contradiction between the stated objective of a maximum of face-to-face teaching and the call for projects on the blending of higher education training funded to the tune of €40 million by the state. In some institutions, students find themselves alternating between distance and face-to-face teaching in the same day, [and] teachers are forced to agree to do distance learning or to be filmed... What possibility do they have, or can they refuse? What is the consideration of the reality for students? There is no response from the ministry…' (https://education.newstank.fr/fr/article/view/193041/motion-adoptee-cneser-demande-plan-urgence-faire-face-rentree.html - access may be restricted)

International students

International students have not all arrived in France for several reasons. Some countries (such as Algeria) have postponed their baccalaureate sessions; there are also delays in issuing administrative documents; and some countries have few flights available to France.

On-campus accommodation quotas will be reserved for international students until the end of September, and then empty rooms will be redeployed to French students as demand is higher than last year.

British Council activity in France

Our teaching centre has just reopened face-to-face courses for young learners and adults, and it feels good to see customers and teachers in the building again!

Contact

For more information about France, please contact Catherine Saracco (Catherine.Saracco@britishcouncil.fr).

GERMANY

Updated 14 September

Important note: Education in Germany is largely devolved to the 16 federal states. This means that although there are agreed Germany-wide principles, there are differences in dates of exams, holidays and regulations for schools and higher education institutions. Public health measures are also in the hands of state governments and local authorities, creating a mixed picture across the country as lockdown restrictions are eased at different paces depending on local case numbers and the severity of infections.

As in other countries, infections have spiked in past weeks, but overall indicators (e.g. no more than 50 infections per 100,000 inhabitants) are still being met in the majority of places and overall ratios are lower than in other European nations. The federal government continues to remind citizens to be careful. This is not always successful and there is much coverage of 'superspreader events' - such as a recent pub crawl in Bavaria by a person who was told by healthcare authorities to self-isolate. A number of regions outside Germany have been added to a list of  'risk zones' which come with mandatory quarantine after return (e.g. Paris, large areas in the south of France and most of Spain). Germany’s blanket travel warning for most of the world except countries in Europe and a few others deemed 'safe' will be lifted at the end of this month. From 1 October warnings will be issued for specific countries or regions on a case-by-case basis according to infection numbers or other factors. The regime of free Covid-19 tests to be offered at airports to people returning from high risk countries has ended. Germany's contact-tracing 'Corona-Warn-App' had been downloaded 17 million times by the end of August.

Schools and universities

Schools in all states have now returned after the summer break. All states have agreed that pupils should return in person as long as the number of infections is low enough, with measures in place to keep new infections to a minimum. In some states, physical distancing will be suspended in classrooms, although it is required in other parts of the school, while in others, use of face masks is mandatory in classrooms as well.

All states have plans in place to continue lessons should infection numbers rise beyond an acceptable limit. A return to full online provision is the 'worst-case scenario' in a series of action levels, with intermediate steps including reduced class sizes and classes rotating between remote and in-person.

University admissions processes for the 2020-21 intake have started. The majority of universities are expecting to teach mostly online until the end of the year. Some are planning to allow students to return to campus in the autumn. There are repeated calls from some students and professors to return to onsite teaching.

Examinations

Abitur (A-level equivalent) grades have been issued in all states. Results are on par with, and in some cases slightly better than, previous years. 

Students can decide whether to take university exams and universities have to offer both in-person and online options.

Financial and academic support

The €500-per-month grants for June, July and August provided by the Federal Ministry of Education for students struggling financially as a result of the pandemic are facing criticism for being too bureaucratic and excluding certain groups of students. The scheme has been extended until the end of September to benefit more students. 

Interest charged on student loans has been temporarily removed. Germany's one-year interest-free student loans, conceived as another mitigation measure for students in financial need, have so far proved unpopular, although this is perhaps unsurprising given that take-up of student loans in Germany has been low for years.

With these grants due to finish after September and the large number of student jobs that have been lost during the crisis, there are stark warnings that the current crisis is turning into a 'debt trap' for students, despite the extra measures.

Other insights: UK in the media 

There continues to be regular coverage of both Covid-19 numbers and policies in the UK, and of the stalling Brexit negotiations between the UK and the EU. The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce warned this week that failing Brexit negotiations would cost its members several billion euros, especially those in car manufacturing.

Contact

For more information about Germany, please contact Ailsa Kienberger (ailsa.kienberger@britishcouncil.de).

IRELAND

Updated 15 September

Covid-19 cases continue to increase in Ireland, particularly in Dublin. The government has announced a six-month 'Living with Covid' plan.  Within education, the allocation of third-level places has dominated the week's news and discussion.

School and university closures 

All primary and post-primary schools are open There have been a handful of class or small school closures due to Covid-19 cases but otherwise schools are functioning well with social distancing and other new ways of working. Post-primary students must wear masks in school.

Examinations 

Final school examinations (Leaving Certificate) results were released to students on Monday 7 September. Grades, based on predictions by teachers, were higher than in previous years.  First round offers for third level education have now been made to students. Many courses have seen a rise in entry requirements linked to higher than usual grades for students this year. In order to help alleviate the situation, 2,000 addition places have been made available. This means there is an unprecedented 12 per cent increase in the overall number of third-level places this year.  

There was an increase in applications for traditional areas of study such as law, veterinary medicine, dentistry and physiotherapy. By contrast, the number of students applying for courses in areas such as arts, humanities and languages were down. Most universities have indicated they will cap the number of students allowed to defer their place this year.

International students

The take-up of places by international students this year remains uncertain. In disciplines that usuall have a high proportion of international students, such as medicine, institutions are working on solutions such as arranging and meeting the costs of flights to Ireland for students. However universities still anticipate a sharp drop in international student numbers this year.

British Council activity in Ireland

The British Council office in Dublin is open by appointment.

Further information 

9thlevel.ie – Updated digest of articles related to HE in Ireland updated very regularly. Also includes articles with a Northern Ireland focus.

Contact 

For more information about Ireland, please contact Mags Walsh (mags.walsh@ie.britishcouncil.org).

 

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