Why changes to Spain's Erasmus programme are a bad idea

MASSIMO MERLINI

Cristina Gullón contributed to this article.

It is a “virtuous cycle” according to this Harvard Business review article: better levels of English go hand in hand with an improving economy.

Government plans to cut spending on the Erasmus programme, a scheme offering grants to students wanting study or work abroad, could therefore be stunting future economic growth. Many commentators, including in this paper, have been rather scathing.

Research suggests a raft of economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national income (GNI) are improved by a good level of English in the general population.

Indeed if we look at this graph comparing GNI per person across Europe with scores on the English Proficiency Index, there aren’t too many surprises. This graph looks a bit boring and serious, but the illustrations do get more colourful. Bear with me.

Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands do well on both counts and Switzerland, whilst sitting half way along the EPI axis, is a country where three other languages are often spoken and  is something of a special case anyway.

Poland Estonia and Hungary all have growing economies and high-levels of English. Their weaker economic starting points make them ones to watch in the future.

But what of Spain?

Spain sits about half way up the chart in terms of income but has the fourth worst English in the sample. Incomes are dropping as the government seeks to get the deficit under control.

France and Italy, behind Spain on levels of English but above on per capita income, should probably rethink too: investing in education including languages is the type of forward thinking that can make all the difference to an economy a couple of election cycles down the line.

When it comes to the Erasmus programme Spain seemed to be doing rather well, perhaps sending disproportionately large numbers of students abroad:

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Cutting the number of months that a student spends abroad seems to be the solution the government has plumped for. But four months is a very short time to master a language, meaning less return for investment (see case study).

This could have been used as an indication that Spain is spending in a profligate manner compared to most EU countries, but once we adjust the graph for population any hint of disproportionate spending vanishes.

 

In this collage Spain is behind many other countries, including those with more successful language teaching in early education, an area where Spain falls down.

Then again, perhaps it is better to look at the figures through the percentage of students in higher-education who take an Erasmus placement. Spain is high on this list, behind only Denmark.

Depending on the glass through which you view this, Spain has either been spending too much or spending wisely.

Looking only at those in education is a narrow way to view the problem, however. After all, this generation’s taxes pay for the last’s state pensions and the next’s education. An investment in education is one for the whole country, not just students. That’s really what the first graph was all about.

How much does Spain spend on the Erasmus programme anyway?

What is more, Erasmus spending isn’t even really that much. With the grand total for mobility spending (helping students with the cost of living abroad) costing €32,251,971 it’s hardly breaking the bank.

Just think: people in the UK spent £1.2billion (1.2 thousand million) on fish and chips last year, according to the Federation of Fish Fryers, whom I suspect may have their numbers wrong.

 

With joblessness high and more youngsters than ever looking for opportunities abroad, it couldn’t hurt foreign investment in Spanish business, the jobs market or the future of the economy to bolster this important strand of education.

Spain is the most popular destination for Erasmus students

And we shouldn’t forget the boost to the economy provided by Erasmus students coming to Spain: over 39,000 of them.  More than the 26,000 odd that left to study overseas. Spain is the most popular destination in the whole of Europe for Erasmus students and assuming each of those students pays into the country what he or she receives in grants, Spain’s economy may actually gain from the program.

 

Case Study

By Cristina Gullón

Being an Erasmus student was one of the most important experiences of my life. While I lived in, Siena, Italy, I had the opportunity not only to learn a new language, but also to broaden my horizons and learn a lot about the Italian culture and traditions.

I stayed there for around a year, and to be honest, I wouldn’t have had the same experience if I had spent only four months there.

During my first two months I was lost in the middle of a new country, with a language that I barely spoke, and attending lessons that I couldn’t really understand. But after the first four months, I was fully adapted and I could enjoy all the new great things that Italy had to offer.

Cristina Gullón is a presenter and writer at Deverdad TV.

Comments

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