As part of its aim to be an active agent for change, the Agency has developed a new way of working with its member countries. From this year onwards, the Agency will address its member countries’ priorities through Thematic Country Cluster Activities (TCCA), as outlined in the Multi-Annual Work Programme 2021–2027 (MAWP).
TCCA work will provide an opportunity for Agency country representatives to work with peers from across Europe to discuss key issues, challenges, strengths and opportunities in their education systems. Its overall aim is to enable Agency member countries to translate identified policy priorities for high-quality inclusive education for all learners into practical actions for implementation.
Following a mapping activity and a survey to all member countries, the Agency identified a series of priority issues. Clusters of five or six countries will focus on activities around these priorities:
- Monitoring and evaluation of policy implementation for inclusive education (3 clusters)
- Supporting collaborative working across sectors, levels and the full range of stakeholders (2 clusters)
- Developing multi-level, multi-stakeholder quality assurance, monitoring and accountability frameworks for inclusive education (1 cluster).
A kick-off meeting took place in Brussels in November 2023 to launch the first cycle of TCCA work (2023–2025). The meeting provided member country representatives with their first opportunity to exchange on TCCA proposals and plans. Member countries are actively involved in designing the TCCA from an early stage and will be able to adapt the work to meet country priorities.
After an introduction from the Agency’s TCCA team, country representatives joined with their cluster groups. They explored the different countries’ situations and exchanged on their experiences and the challenges that they face in their education systems. They discussed and agreed on the goals, expected outputs and impact of the TCCA work, as well as their methods and working procedures. All clusters are expected to develop peer-learning activities as part of their work, and to involve stakeholders and experts from all system levels and sectors. Each cluster will develop its own activity plan and related content.
More information on the TCCA will be available in the future on the Agency website. Details of the mapping work that led to the clusters is available on the Country System Mapping web area.