BUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 252: Dansk positionspapir om Kommissionens midtvejsevaluering af Handlingsplan for digital uddannelse 2021-2027

Børne- og Undervisningsudvalget 2023-24
BUU Alm.del Bilag 252
Offentligt

Danish position paper on the Digital Education Action

Plan (DEAP) 2021-2027

The Danish Government appreciates the opportunity to share its view on

the Digital Education Action Plan (DEAP) 2021-2027. In general, the Dan-

ish Government supports the ambition of the DEAP when it comes to im-

proving digital skills and competencies in society. This was highly relevant

when the DEAP was launched in 2020 and this is indeed still the case con-

sidering recent developments, e.g. of AI-based tools. However, much has

also happened since then. Furthermore, we have become increasingly

aware that children should not be left to navigate the complexities of the

digital world on their own. Therefore, the Danish Government has three

key points for the future work within the DEAP:

1) The importance of striking the right balance between analogue

and digital tools for learning

2) EU added value connected to regulation of tech companies and

use of technology in education, exchange of experiences should

focus on common challenges such as implementation of horizon-

tal EU regulation in the education sector (GDPR, AI Act etc.)

3) No need to create new digital education fora – make use of exist-

ing ones.

Striking the right balance between analogue and digital tools

While the DEAP was presented following unprecedented demand for dig-

ital educational tools during covid-19, the need for both practical, ana-

logue and digital elements in education has become evident after covid-

19. The important aspect is that digital tools are used with a didactic pur-

pose and that teachers know how to balance different teaching methods.

The point is not to be against the use of digital technology for education,

but to make sure that different tools are used to maximize learning out-

comes. The key concern should be how to improve learning outcomes us-

ing technology as a tool among others – not as an end in itself.

If covid-19 underlined the importance of mastering digital tools, the af-

termath of the crisis made it clear that digital technology cannot replace

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BUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 252: Dansk positionspapir om Kommissionens midtvejsevaluering af Handlingsplan for digital uddannelse 2021-2027

the personal interaction between teachers and students. Furthermore,

digital technology cannot stand alone as a learning tool – even if the am-

bition is to raise digital literacy among students. In fact, according to the

OECD PISA 2022 results, reading physical books frequently seems to be a

better way to enhance digital literacy than reading on a screen

. This calls

for a continued focus on improving students’ basic skills as these are pre-

requisites for both further education and digital skills. This is important to

keep in mind when evaluating the DEAP and reflecting on how to move

forward in the field of digital education.

Examples and evidence on how to improve learning by balancing digital

and analogue teaching and how to create the best framework conditions

in schools (e.g. mobile phone free schools) should be an important part

of peer learning in the future.

Regulation of tech companies and exchange of best practice on EU regula-

tion

An important aspect of the European framework conditions for education

is the influence of the technology industry on learning via digital plat-

forms, devices, and data harvesting of the use of these.

Recent cases in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe have shown that GDPR

compliance is still a challenge for many big tech companies delivering

digital solutions to European school systems. While this is a problem in it-

self, an additional issue is the fact that students – and children in general

– are exposed to disturbing and harming content online e.g. on social

media platforms.

The Danish Government believes that the big tech industry must be made

more responsible for protecting minors against exposure to harmful and

illegal content online. This requires stronger enforcement and effective

implementation of EU legislation as well as new initiatives, including ef-

fective tools for age verification to ensure that minors are only exposed to

age appropriate content.

The DEAP should tackle challenges related to common EU framework

conditions for educational systems across Member States, such as en-

forcement of the GDPR in schools, handling of the AI Act, approaches to

avoid digital distractions during school days etc. Reflecting on these

themes is where EU added value is found in the field of education. Den-

mark looks forward to receive the study from the Joint Research Centre

on the impact of recent horizontal EU regulation on the education sector,

and we encourage the Commission to assist Member States in the imple-

mentation and facilitate exchange of best practice in this area.

Efficient use of existing fora on education

Digitalisation is a cross-cutting issue with an impact on all aspects of edu-

cation. Therefore, digital education should not be discussed in niche fora,

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PISA 2022

Webinar: Digital devices in schools: Detrimental distraction or secret to success?

(youtube.com)

presentation by Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills, OECD

BUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 252: Dansk positionspapir om Kommissionens midtvejsevaluering af Handlingsplan for digital uddannelse 2021-2027

but rather across different settings. More concretely, discussions on digi-

tal education topics should take place in existing EU fora such as the High

Level Group on Education and Training (HLG) and the Working Group on

Digital Education: Learning, Teaching and Assessment (DELTA), as decided

by the Council

, as these are core themes to be tackled by any educa-

tional system in the EU. As an example, DELTA is a valuable forum for ex-

change on AI in education focusing on a learner perspective.

In general, the Danish Government welcomes opportunities to discuss

challenges and best practice e.g. also in relation to GDPR compliance and

user friendliness of educational IT tools such as platforms.

There is no need to establish new meeting fora focusing entirely on digi-

tal issues alongside existing structures. Education systems should handle

both analogue and digital learning elements, challenges and opportuni-

ties. This goes for exchange on EU level as well.

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Council Recommendation on the key enabling factors for successful digital education and

training and Council Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills in edu-

cation and training adopted on 23 November 2023.