What the Erasmus programme tells us
Presenter: Atsushi Oda
Hitotsubashi University
Japan
Theme: The Role of Education in Meeting Global Challenges
Abstract
The Erasmus programme, established in 1987, with the aim of encouraging students to study at universities in other EU nations, was the newest approach to regional integration in the field of education. I believe such internationalization can lead to positive outcomes for students throughout the world, and ultimately to global peace. We often hear that students should study abroad in order to get to know others, and I believe making community among universities in a “small” area, for example Europe, and later on a global scale, could lead to better world. Thus, such a programme would lead to world peace. However, there are many problems involved in such programmes. For example, there is going to have to be a standardization of the quality of education provided. There is a risk that this very standardization, may lead to harmonisation, where there is little or no difference between universities in different countries, which could mean that the number of those wanting to study abroad would decline. A result like this would imply the failure of the programme. Therefore, I would like to discuss how internationalizing education with minimum harmonisation can be achieved.
