This post is to keep UK institutions updated on disruptions across the EU Europe region caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. For more information, updates, webinars and other engagement opportunities, please see ‘Europe and education: Stay connected during Covid-19’.

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

  • France: University consortiums plan unified approach to online teaching in new year to support international students; admission deadline extended for overseas students.
  • Germany: Differences in university plans for online provision and reopening; Brexit coverage in media.
  • Ireland: Teaching unions support predicted grades for Leaving Certificate; language schools appeal for government support.
  • Italy: Government plans social distancing rules for schools in September.
  • Romania: Bacalaureat written exams to begin on 22 June, with results due 30 June.
  • Spain: Many schools reopen for year 13 pupils.

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

IELTS tests have been affected in all countries in Europe as a result of Covid-19 precautions. 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. We are monitoring the situation very closely and will continue to provide updates as the situation develops. 

For more Europe updates, webinars, market insights and other services in international higher education, please go to your alerts settings and select updates by region from Europe. 

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 26 May

School and university closures

Announcements regarding the reopening of upper secondary schools are expected this Thursday 28 May.

Some parts of higher education institutions have started to open again for limited activities, including libraries, registrations (on appointment), research labs and some continuous education courses.

Examinations

Professional teaching examinations will now take place from 16 June to mid-July for candidates who have started either the written or the oral part before the lockdown. Those who had not started before the lockdown will be required to complete only a written test this year and an oral test next year when their jobs are confirmed.

Student financial support

A governmental platform is now open for disadvantaged students to apply for a subsidy of €200.

There will be no inflation-linked increase in university registration fees this year as is usually allowed by law because of the crisis and the difficult financial situation students are currently in. For EU and most non-EU students the fees will be:

  • €170 euros for a ‘licence’ (bachelor’s degree)
  • €243 euros for a master’s degree 
  • €601 euros for a state-funded engineering qualification
  • €380 euros for a PhD.

Remote and online academic provision

Most higher education institutions are preparing to start their academic year online (for foreign students at least) and hope to resume normal courses over the second trimester. Some consortiums (all engineering schools, for example) hope to mutualise the online provision of courses. A major factor in this is the intention to provide the best education service for foreign students who have registered to their institutions but may not be able to travel in September; 17,000 foreign students are registered at engineering schools in France, representing 14 per cent of the total number of students at engineering schools.

International students

The admission deadline for foreign students has been set to 15 June rather than 30 April. Students will have until 30 June to accept their offers (two weeks instead of one).

Invited lecturers or researchers can now spend as little as one week in France, whereas previously it was set at a minimum of one month. The maximum time remains three years.

Other insights

A substantial increase in salaries has been promised to all carers, as has an immediate bonus for civil servants who have played a direct role in public support during the crisis. These include hospital staff, medical students, military staff and teachers who have continued to teach children of medical staff. The government also plans to increase salaries for researchers.

Contact

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

GERMANY 

Updated 25 May

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.

Germany is continuing to relax lockdown measures in phases. Face masks are mandatory across Germany when using public transport or in shops. Some federal states in former East Germany where numbers of cases have been lower are looking to ease these measures in the next days and weeks, saying they are no longer proportional or defensible. If this goes ahead there will be considerable differences between regulations across states.

School and university closures 

Primary and secondary schools and universities are gradually reopening. The aim is that all pupils will return to school in person at least once by the start of the summer holidays (end of June in some areas).

There are differences across the country with regards to the approach to reopening universities. Some are expecting to teach mostly online until at least 2021, while others are saying they plan to allow students to return to campus in the autumn. Some universities are also toying with the idea of delaying the start of the winter semester.

Examinations

With Abitur (A level equivalent) grades set to be issued from the end of June, there are some calls for universities to grant special dispensation to applicants if the grade averages are significantly lower than in previous years (an unusual move in Germany as special consideration is not a measure normally used).

Support for students

The federal Ministry of Education has launched interest-free loans of up to €650 per month for students who are struggling financially as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will also create a €100 million relief fund for the hardest hit students. There has, however, been criticism of the loans in terms of accessibility for international (and EU) students and that they are taking too long with first payments expected in July when many students expect to be able to work again. The state of Berlin is also planning to offer some tutoring and support during the summer holiday period to pupils who have missed out the most, provided by private-sector tutoring companies.

Other insights: Media 

There has been coverage in German and British media (especially educational media) about a joint plea by Hans-Jochen Schiewer, chairman of the German U15 group of research-intensive universities in Germany, and Sir Anton Muscatelli, chair of the Russell Group, about ensuring continued UK-German research cooperation after Brexit. The full text is available in English on the Times Higher Education website: www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/international-cooperation-key-global-recovery.

Contact 

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

IRELAND

Updated 25 May

Ireland is lifting social distancing measures as per the country’s roadmap. The second phase is due to begin on 8 June, though there is some speculation that the phases may be accelerated if numbers of Covid-19 infections and deaths continue to fall.

School and university closures 

School and university buildings have been reopening to staff since 18 May to allow for remote teaching and other learner support. Anecdotal evidence suggests that only a small number of staff members are attending and for short periods to do essential tasks and retrieve materials. The normal academic year for post-primary students will finish at the end of this week.

Examinations 

Teachers’ unions had raised issues around indemnity for teachers and their role in deciding predicted grades for the Leaving Certificate (final school exam). The issue has now been resolved with the government and all the unions have recommended that their members engage in the process.

International students 

English language schools have appealed to the government for support as they feel the impact of Covid-19. Residential centres that run summer courses for international students are particularly at risk. So far the government has not responded.

British Council activity in country 

The British Council office is closed though all team members are working remotely. 

Other insights

Plans for the Health Minister to enact regulations making it mandatory for travellers to Ireland to fill in a Public Health Passenger Locator Form have been announced and regulations to make self-isolation itself mandatory and authorise police checks are almost complete. The UK’s decision to exempt travel within the Common Travel Area (CTA) from its new border measures has been the subject of media commentary and further bilateral meetings and all-island engagement.

Further information 

9thlevel.ie: Regularly updated digest of articles related to HE in Ireland. Also includes articles with a Northern Ireland focus.

Contact 

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

ITALY

Updated 26 May

Lockdown in Italy is being eased and people are now able to travel within regions and stay in second homes within the same region. Travel between regions is only allowed for work or health reasons with a self-declaration document.  After 2 June, travel between regions will be allowed for everyone.

School and university closures

The government is working on plans to reopen schools in September, with possible 45-minute lessons and staggered timings of classes.

32,000 temporary teachers will be employed in September. Longer-term employment procedures have been delayed until at least the autumn.

Contact

For more information about Italy, please contact Filomena Casamassa (Filomena.Casamassa@BritishCouncil.it).

ROMANIA

Updated 26 May

Throughout the pandemic, Romanian authorities have tended to confirm exact details of many regulations very shortly before they are published. Many restrictions have now been lifted, but face masks must be worn in enclosed public places and self-declarations are required for travel between localities. There are plans to ease restrictions further in the coming weeks, such as opening restaurant terraces from 1 June, but nothing has been confirmed outright. It is unclear when air travel will return to normal; Romania currently requires incoming passengers to go into quarantine or to self-isolate for 14 days.

Examinations

On 25 May, the Ministry of Education announced the 2020 Bacalaureat (final school exam for university entrance) examination calendar, together with special safety measures under which students will take the exam. According to this calendar, students can start registering to take the Bacalaureat on 3 June. Written exams will begin on 22 June. There will be no oral examinations this year. Results will be announced on 30 June.

The subject of the examinations is a divisive one. The Movement of Students in Romania, an organisation set up during the pandemic that claims to represent the interests of Romanian students, has demanded that the government cancel the National Assessment (for entrance into the sixth form) and Bacalaureat, arguing that authorities cannot guarantee the safety of the students taking the exams. By contrast, one of Romania’s most popular vloggers, Selly (real name Andrei Selaru), who is himself a grade 12 student, told the news channel Digi24: ‘I don't want the Bacalaureat to be cancelled. It seems to me quite late that they announce only now exactly what is happening with the oral examinations this year and the precise exam dates, but somehow it is understandable because this situation is difficult to predict.’ Selly has 2.63 million subscribers on YouTube.

Contact

For more information about Romania, please contact Gabriel Ivan (gabriel.ivan@britishcouncil.ro).

SPAIN

Spain continues to go through its staged de-escalation plan, with certain regions already at later stages of reopening.

School and university closures

Many schools in regions in phase two of the de-escalation plan have reopened for year 13 students.

There has been a lot of debate around the country about the reopening of schools, especially regarding early years. Despite the Ministry for Education allowing return to school for early years pupils, many schools have said they will not be able to manage this while maintaining social distancing rules.

Contact

For more information about Spain, please contact Carolina Jimenez (carolina.jimenez@britishcouncil.es).

COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES