(ANSA) - Rome, June 28 - The rector of the University of
Siegen, Holger Burkhart, told ANSA in an interview that nobody
should be excluded from higher education based on the lack of
resources and that Germany's dual education system offers
excellent employment opportunities.
The rector was speaking ahead of the event "G7 University -
University education for all. Actions for a sustainable future",
scheduled to take place in the northern city of Udine on June
29-30.
Over 150 deans, lecturers and students from the G7 countries
are expected to take part in the initiative, which is part of
the Italian festival of knowledge - 'Conoscenza in Festa'.
Q: Which results do you expect from this G7?
A: I expect a network of university projects, tips for
internationalization strategies for my university, new
cooperation contacts and a clear signal to Europe from the heart
of science.
Q: The motto of the summit of rectors is "university for all"
but the German model shows that academic education is not
indispensable to access the labor market. What do you think
about this slogan?
A: I like the slogan because it urges us to reflect on how far
this "for all" can and - in a perspective of fairness - should
go. Its function is to push us to discuss openly and rationally
the specific elaboration and selection of requirements and
limits to access university education.
Q: Building a global citizenship is one of the objectives of
academic training, according to the G7: can you explain how
university will respond to this challenge? Do you believe that
Erasmus made European youths? Can university build Europe?
A: The category of global citizenship, from the perspective of
my discipline (practical philosophy) is problematic. We need
awareness in civil society and an international network of
democratic countries. And each university and each science needs
to contribute.
Q: The Erasmus program is said to have produced a generation of
young Europeans. Do you think this is true? Can university build
Europe?
A: This is true: but it wasn't just the Erasmus program. The
many experiences matured along the way have to be added to this.
Obviously, university can't make Europe. Nor can politics,
without sciences and without universities. And the market alone
surely can't do it.
Q: A study by political scientist Cas Mudde sheds light on the
fact that it was mainly non-graduates who followed the populists
Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump in French and US presidential
elections. How do you evaluate this data, does university have a
role in helping democracy today and how do you think it should
be confronted?
A: Safeguarding and amplifying democratic cohabitation is a duty
of the individual and of civil society. From my standpoint, it
is also the duty of sciences and in particular of universities.
Democracy legitimizes itself through free elections based on a
rational process of decision-making. Rational decision-making is
not possible without adequate information. For this reason,
universities must work harder on the preservation and
restoration of connections in democratic cohabitation through
the transfer of knowledge.
Q: Italian university is suffering from the lack of adequate
resources for research and the brain drain is a well-known
phenomenon. What is the situation in Germany?
A: Obviously, increasing incentives is always positive. A
significant increase of basic funding is especially necessary
for German universities, for many reasons of a political and
scientific nature. However, I am convinced that, even without
data at hand, the situation in Germany is by far better than the
one in Italy. We also lose many young, talented and highly
qualified academics who go abroad. But we also see many youths
from central, eastern and southern Europe who come to Germany or
would like to come.