Erasmus Travels Through Europe

14 February is widely known as Saint Valentine’s day. Few people know the church also celebrates Cyril and Methodius, patron saints of Europe on this day. By spreading literacy in East Europe, the two brothers are considered to have brought a serious contribution to the European thought. 

Erasmus of Rotterdam also spread literacy throughout Europe, but he was a bit too sarcastic to reach the holy status of Cyril and Methodius. Yet his name was given to the Erasmus programme for the exchange of university students among European universities. Erasmus stands for “European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students”. It allows students to study one semester in another EU country.

The positive impact is clear. Students get to know other languages. They get acquainted with other cultures in Europe and above all they create unique human relationships with their peers in other university communities in Europe. This also enables exchange of knowledge and skills through fruitful long-term scientific collaboration.

Like all European programmes it also suffers from a few deficits. The opportunity to acquire new language skills is insufficiently exploited. Too many universities have changed their national language master educations into English language master educations. In this way they block too easily the opportunity for foreign students to acquire the local language. Another deficit of the Erasmus programme is the bad ratio between administrative burden and human touch. Candidates need to fill in a lot of forms, however, they get little human attention when they arrive on site.

There is always room for improvement but it is a comforting thought that already millions of students have benefited from this programme and that many more will follow. I refer to my blog Europe, Quo Vadis and to my other blogs about Europe.

Picture 1: Erasmus of Rotterdam 2022©Ingrid Lahaye-Van Hoof

Picture 2: Sankt-Pölten Austria 2023©Elisabeth Lahaye