https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed From Munich to Berlin, nine German universities and one consortium have been confirmed as 'Universities of Excellence'. Here’s what the title means – and what makes each institution stand out. https://www.thelocal.com/20260312/revealed-germanys-universities-of-excellence-for-science-and-research Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:39:37 +0100 revealed-germanys-universities-of-excellence-for-science-and-research Student participation, called 'Mitarbeit', makes up a large portion of students' grades in German schools. But the way it's assessed can be poison in the classroom, particularly for foreign pupils, writes Tom Pugh. https://www.thelocal.com/20250702/opinion-german-school-grading-is-unfair-on-foreign-students-and-its-maddening Wed, 02 Jul 2025 14:30:24 +0200 opinion-german-school-grading-is-unfair-on-foreign-students-and-its-maddening Sofia Corradi, the creator of the EU's Erasmus program which has sent millions of young people abroad throughout Europe to study, died in Rome aged 91, Italian media reported Saturday. https://www.thelocal.com/20251019/europes-erasmus-founder-sofia-corradi-dies-aged-91 Sun, 19 Oct 2025 07:55:22 +0200 europes-erasmus-founder-sofia-corradi-dies-aged-91 It may sound like an odd decision, but hundreds of French students are choosing to study English in Spain rather than in the UK for reasons ranging from the weather to avoiding post-Brexit paperwork. https://www.thelocal.com/20250825/french-students-travel-to-spain-to-learn-english Mon, 25 Aug 2025 12:51:26 +0200 french-students-travel-to-spain-to-learn-english In the German state of Baden-Württemberg well over a thousand education positions went unfilled for years due to a glitch in a computer programme, officials say. https://www.thelocal.com/20250717/how-thousands-of-teaching-positions-in-a-german-state-were-lost-to-administrative-error Thu, 17 Jul 2025 18:29:57 +0200 how-thousands-of-teaching-positions-in-a-german-state-were-lost-to-administrative-error Eight American researchers have arrived at a university in southern France, as the country pushes to offer "science asylum" to US academics hit by federal research spending cuts under Donald Trump. https://www.thelocal.com/20250630/science-refugees-french-university-welcomes-first-us-researchers Mon, 30 Jun 2025 10:51:12 +0200 science-refugees-french-university-welcomes-first-us-researchers Smartphones will be banned at schools under new legislation proposed in Denmark, the education minister announced Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.com/20250225/denmark-to-move-forward-with-plans-to-ban-smartphones-at-schools Tue, 25 Feb 2025 15:10:41 +0100 denmark-to-move-forward-with-plans-to-ban-smartphones-at-schools If you want to reliably infuriate teachers in France, simply suggest cutting the length of the school holidays - this week newly appointed education minister Elisabeth Borne has made just such a suggestion. https://www.thelocal.com/20230824/do-french-children-get-too-much-holiday Thu, 24 Aug 2023 14:02:48 +0200 do-french-children-get-too-much-holiday An international ranking has given an indication of how primary school pupils in Germany compare to children in other countries when it comes to maths and science. https://www.thelocal.com/20241204/how-do-pupils-in-germany-compare-in-international-maths-and-science-tests Wed, 04 Dec 2024 17:29:32 +0100 how-do-pupils-in-germany-compare-in-international-maths-and-science-tests Austria’s Maria Theresa was more than a monarch—her policies revolutionised access to education. https://www.thelocal.com/20230906/schulpflicht-how-austria-pioneered-mandatory-schooling-for-all Wed, 06 Sep 2023 12:39:26 +0200 schulpflicht-how-austria-pioneered-mandatory-schooling-for-all The Danes have toppled Norwegians from the title of best English speakers in the Nordics, according to the the latest annual proficiency ranking from Education First (EF). But English-speaking ability has slipped across the region. https://www.thelocal.com/20231123/ranking-which-country-in-the-nordics-has-the-best-english-speakers Thu, 23 Nov 2023 17:18:44 +0100 ranking-which-country-in-the-nordics-has-the-best-english-speakers As France's schools return from the summer holidays, the education minister has announced that he wants to 'experiment' with something that is already common in many countries - imposing a school uniform. https://www.thelocal.com/20230904/france-to-experiment-with-introducing-uniforms-in-schools Mon, 04 Sep 2023 11:51:59 +0200 france-to-experiment-with-introducing-uniforms-in-schools French authorities are to ban the wearing in school of abaya dresses worn by some Muslim women, the education minister said on Sunday, arguing the garment violated France's strict secular laws in education. https://www.thelocal.com/20230828/france-to-ban-wearing-of-islamic-abayas-in-schools Mon, 28 Aug 2023 10:57:38 +0200 france-to-ban-wearing-of-islamic-abayas-in-schools Pfizer/BioNTech said on Friday it has asked European regulators to authorise its Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, a move seen as a crucial step toward achieving herd immunity. https://www.thelocal.com/20210430/could-12-to-15-year-olds-in-eu-soon-be-given-the-pfizer-covid-vaccine Fri, 30 Apr 2021 17:38:58 +0200 could-12-to-15-year-olds-in-eu-soon-be-given-the-pfizer-covid-vaccine As Italy debates how to reopen schools after its strict Covid-19 lockdown, teaching outside is one of the solutions being suggested to help kids return safely to class. Jessica Phelan heard from teachers and parents already involved in outdoor education to find out what’s really involved and how it might work. https://www.thelocal.com/20200623/how-teaching-outdoors-could-help-italy-reopen-its-schools-safely Tue, 23 Jun 2020 14:50:27 +0200 how-teaching-outdoors-could-help-italy-reopen-its-schools-safely