Educational-programs in European universities

Desiderus Erasmus, the Dutch scholar and teacher born in 1466, has given his name to the Erasmus programme-the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students. Appropriately enough, Erasmus was also a great traveller. The Erasmus programme has been put into place by the European Community to enable students to complete part of their education in another country, in preparation for the time when working and practising one's profession abroad is a part of the European experience. In 1989-90 a pilot programme involving credit transfer was introduced in chemistry and four other disciplines. This programme has been quite difficult to coordinate, but now that the first students are returning, the benefits seem worth the effort.