EUA learning and teaching lead says universities should prepare students to be part of local communities

Universities should prepare students to be active citizens in society and not just for their future careers, according to the European University Association's lead on learning and teaching.

Speaking at an EUA event in Lisbon on 12/02/2026, Ivanka Popović, chair of the association's Learning and Teaching steering committee, said: "Universities should not only prepare the students professionally for the knowledge in their area of expertise, but also to interact and function within the communities where they will be working."

Popović, who is a former rector of the University of Belgrade, said: "Higher education institutions such as universities give the general skills and capabilities to adapt to an ever-changing labour market, ever-changing technology schemes, platforms and ever-changing societal relations".

Speaking at a session titled "Impactful staff development for educational transformation", Popović said that there was a need to have comprehensive and sustainable programmes that would prepare and train teachers "to provide the quality not only of research, but also the quality…