UNESCO supports EI campaign for commemorative stamps
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will recommend to its Member States the issuing, at national level, of stamps to commemorate World Teachers' Day. In a letter to Education International, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education Colin N. Power welcomed EI's invitation addressed last August to the United Nations Postal Administration to extol WTD and the work of educators around the world with distinctive postal stamps: "We highly appreciate your innovative proposal, which, as you mention, would become an educational event and raise better awareness of the important role teachers play in the advancement of education". Speaking on behalf of Director-General Federico Mayor, Mr Power indicated that the UNESCO intends, through its services, "to work out the best way to reach public opinion in Member States, and sensitise them about the value and advantages of this world-wide initiative".
Education International offered the UN and UNESCO its cooperation in organising various activities to make this philatelic operation an historic, educational event. As suggested earlier in WTD messages and in the Monitor, the involvement of member organisations at national level is most welcome. Contacting governments, informing membership and media, preparing public and classroom activities, (for example: design contests for sets of postage stamps, collection of first-day covers, exhibition of stamps related to education and classroom subjects, etc) would help promote World Teachers' Day in your community, and bring benefits to educators and education in all nations as we step into the next century.
Our colleagues from SNTE informed us that the Mexican government issued a stamp on Mexico's Día del Maestro (May 15) in recognition for the work of educators. Keep us informed; we will be happy to share your suggestions, achievements and good news with the readers of the Monitor.
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Following an agreement between Education International and UNESCO's
Education Sector, a series of stories produced by TV5 (the international
French-speaking television) on the basis of the brochure Teachers in difficult
situations - Portraits in Courage will be available on video for the celebration
of the fifth WTD. In about 20 minutes, Portraits in Courage recounts the
trials and working conditions of five teachers from Rwanda, Mongolia, the
United States of America, France and South Africa, paying a tribute to
the dedication and commitment beyond the call of duty of educators around
the world. More information soon. In the meantime, to prepare for the 1998
Day, why not publish some of the 1997 brochure's portraits in your publications
as some affiliates have already done?
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Europe
Europeans on the move in 1998
On 15 December 1997, the EI European Regional Committee held what the President Lars-Erik Klason called 'an historic meeting.' The main item for discussion was a detailed document, presented by EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen, setting out a concrete set of actions to give effect to the programmes adopted by the EI European Regional Conference and the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) General Assembly in June 1997 (see Monitor Vol 4 No 5-6). They were set out in such a way as to demonstrate the role of EI/E in development of policy and that of ETUCE (in which the affiliates of World Confederation of Teachers (WCT) make up 5% of the membership) in implementing policy in relation to the European Union, EFTA (European Free Trade Agreement) and the ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation).
For example, it is envisaged that Round Tables on broad educational questions such as Early Childhood Education and Adult Education will be the responsibility of EI/E, together with the work of the existing Standing Committees on Higher Education/Research and Equal Opportunities. The document also set out the budgetary implications of these developments.
After detailed debate spread over several hours and involving the incorporation of some minor amendments, the document was approved unanimously. Later in the cycle of meetings the principles were adopted by the ETUCE Executive Board and will now be implemented immediately, bringing to an end the intensive discussions on machinery and working arrangements in Europe.
Planning is already in progress for an EI/E Round Table on Early Childhood
Education, using the experience of the September 1995 Porto Seminar (see
Monitor Vol 3 No 1) and full information on all matters will be sent to
member unions. EI Regional Committee & ETUCE Executive Board were to
meet again 10 & 11 February 1998. More EI and ETUCE information at:
http://www.ei-ie.org
EI Round Table examines funding and decentralisation in Central and Eastern Europe
At the invitation of Education International, teacher unions from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Yugoslavia gathered in Budapest (Hungary) 24-26 November 1997 to provide opinions on the funding of education, and on the positive and negative aspects of the decentralisation process in their region. This widespread phenomenon, implemented in different ways by governments, is regarded as a major challenge to the education systems and to teacher unions. The program (see Monitor Vol 5 No 1) offered presentations on international trends, on specific cases (Sweden, France, European Union) followed by working groups and 'open mike' sessions. EI Hungarian affiliates SEH, FDSz, PDSZ and TDDSZ ably hosted the three-day event, attended by over 40 delegates from countries in transition.
In the final declaration (which can be found on EI's web site), participants
noted the risk that a decentralisation which is not organised in an appropriate
way, and where sufficient resources are not made available, could be a
first step towards an unwanted policy of privatisation. Continuous information,
consultation and negotiations were seen as necessary measures to ensure
guarantees of adequate working conditions, sufficient funding, equal opportunities
for all, and quality education. The many challenges confronting unions
(status, policies, structures, relations with members, rank and file training)
were reviewed by the teacher trade unionists who wished a constant monitoring
of the developments and further regional exchanges as well as contacts
with EI affiliates in other regions.
EI/WHO/UNAIDS Eastern and Central Europe Workshop on School Health
Some 35 participants from EI affiliates in Eastern and Central Europe
attended a three-day seminar on school health and HIV/STD prevention held
in Budapest (Hungary) 27-29 November 1997. The aim of this cycle of workshops
- initiated in 1996 following the Harare Conference (see
Monitor Vol 5 No 1) - is to increase the number of EI members actively
involved in promoting health through schools in partnership with relevant
organisations, to help develop HIV-related policies for unions, curricula
as well as training programs for teachers and members of their communities.
EI's efforts for this region were supported by UNAIDS and WHO with the
cooperation of UNESCO, EDC and NIGZ.
More information on EI's Homepage.
North America & Carribean
Regional Conference for EI North American/Caribbean affiliates
The Changing Role of Teacher Unions in the North American/Caribbean Region was chosen as the theme for the 26-28 February 1998 Regional Conference in Castries (St. Lucia), beginning on the first day with an Indigenous Education Forum and a Women's workshop, and followed March 1 by a Mini-conference on Development Cooperation. The sub-themes for the group discussions were:
Asia & the Pacific
Education Forum at the Asia-Pacific Summit
At the initiative of the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF/FCE) and
its affiliate in British Columbia (BCTF), a Forum on Education was held
in Vancouver (Canada) 19 and 20 November 1997 in conjunction with the Summit
of Heads of States and Governments of 18 Member States from APEC (Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation), including the United States of America, Japan, China
and Canada. The Forum, opened by CTF/FCE President Jan Eastman, reflected
on the consequences of neo-liberal policies on education. In the opening
session, Sharan Burrow, President of AEU (Australia) and Vice-President
of EI, condemned the severe attacks on human and trade union rights suffered
by several labour organisations in APEC countries. EI Deputy General Secretary
Elie Jouen dealt with "the implementation of trade union strategies for
education reform within the framework of partnership policies".
Africa
EI attends ministerial workshop on teachers and schooling in Africa
EI attended a workshop on teachers and the development of schooling in some African countries 18 to 21 January 1998 in Dakar (Sénégal) with Ministers (for Basic Education, Budget, Civil Service) from seven French-speaking countries (Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Niger, Sénégal, and Chad) accompanied by specialists and social, technical and financial partners such as the World Bank, UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF and parents' associations. The main goal consisted in looking for sustainable solutions to questions such as teachers' recruitment, training, management and motivation in the context of an expanding and revivified primary education. EI was represented by Oumar Tall (Executive), Samuel Ngoua Ngou (Regional Office) and Elie Jouen, Deputy General Secretary.
Pre-school and Primary Education Committee concludes 1996-98 programme
Members of EI's Standing Sectoral Committee on Pre-school and Primary
Education held their third and last meeting 13-14 January 1998 in the Brussels
(Belgium) headquarters. Participants finalised the work on the three dossiers
(financing, teacher unions & education reform, social environment &
quality education - see previous Monitors) proposed by the Executive Board
for the 1996-98 cycle. Final reports adopted at the meeting will be forwarded
to the Board for consideration, along with comments from the Committee
members on draft resolutions for the Second World Congress on the status
of teachers, on teacher training, on illiteracy & education for all,
and on early childhood education. Several other important issues were discussed
in the last three years (i.e. violence in societies and schools, partnerships,
job security & professional development, the feminisation of the teaching
profession), and the committee suggested that some of these subjects should
be further developed in future EI work programmes and activities.
Universities' Responsibilities to Society
EI followed the Fourth Mid-term Conference of the International Association
of Universities (IAU) held in Bangkok (Thailand) 12 to 14 November 1997
on the theme "Universities' Responsibilities to Society". Representing
EI, Bert Fredriksson, Secretary General of SULF (the Swedish Higher Education
union), made a presentation in the session on "academic freedom and university
autonomy: prerequisites for the university meeting its responsibilities".
He also took part in a group of experts, set up by AIU at UNESCO's request,
which examined the feasibility and advantages of an international standard
on academic freedom and university autonomy. This issue will be examined
at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education in Paris, 5 to 9 October
1998 More information on the UNESCO Conference: http://www.education.unesco.org/educprog/wche/index.html
Planèt'ERE Forum: education to environment as a vehicle for change
The first French-speaking Forum on education relating to environment
(Planèt'ERE) took place 6 to 10 November 1997 in Montreal (Canada).
Some 700 participants representing 35 countries shared their reflections
on this major issue as we step into the 21st century. Numerous and extremely
varied regional activities had previously been organised. Beyond the conferences
and debates with well-known speakers, most of the work took place in workshops
with a succession of testimonies, presentations of experiences, research
reports... This broad exchange led to the adoption of the "Montreal Declaration
on ERE (Education relating to environment)". Five years after the Rio Conference
it is more than ever urgent to mobilise ourselves and recognise the importance
of education as an essential vehicle of change in our behaviour and lifestyle
if necessary to ensure the viability of our planet. More about Planèt'ERE
at:
http://www.ceq.qc.ca/planet/ere.htm
6th meeting of the Francophone trade union committee for education and training
Education International attended the 6th meeting of the Francophone
trade union committee for education and training (CSFEF) held 4 to 6 November
1997 in Montreal (Canada). Representatives of teacher trade unions from
French-speaking Africa, Canada/Québec, France, Switzerland and Viet-nam
took part. The focus was on three items: a program for future activities,
preparation of the Planèt'ERE Forum, and closer relations with EI.
On this topic, Monique Fouilloux, speaking on behalf of EI's General Secretary,
indicated the International's interest for the concerns of the French-speaking
trade union community and for the activities initiated. An open debate
allowed clarification of issues, confirmation on both sides of a will for
rapprochement with a perspective of inclusion in EI in the near future,
which would maintain a close and stronger francophone space.
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Education International has been invited by UNAIDS to become one of the six partner organisations of the 1998 World AIDS campaign which is in the process of being organized. UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is cosponsored by UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank, and supported by other partners such as EI, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, MTV Networks, the World Assembly of Youth, Rotary International and Association Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (Harvard U.). Since the 1995 School Health Conference in Harare, partnerships and alliances have been key elements in the elaboration and success of EI's activities. At the 1996 International Conference on Education (ICE) in Geneva, WHO, UNESCO, UNAIDS and EI issued a Joint Statement (see Monitor Vol 4 No 1) reaffirming that "education and health complement each other". Following the 1997 theme "Children Living in a
World with AIDS - Educate to Prevent", the second UNAIDS campaign will
put the focus on young people (ages 15 to 24). EI was represented by a
staff member and a student at the first planning meeting for 1998 called
28-29 January in Geneva (Switzerland) to discuss
According to a UNAIDS report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic published last December, the situation is worse than previously thought: 30.6 million people are now living with HIV/AIDS, the vast majority having no idea they are infected. In most parts of the world, the new infections are in young people between the ages of 15 and 24, sometimes younger. With 16,000 new infections a day (1 in 10 in children under 15 years of age), the number will soar to 40 million adults and children by the year 2000. Since the beginning of the epidemic, 3.8 million boys and girls under 15 are estimated to have been infected, and 2.7 million have died. In countries where the disease is most common, gains in life expectancy and child survival over the last decades have been wiped out. More than 8 million children have been orphaned (lost their mother or both parents due to AIDS) at age 14 or younger, and it is estimated that this figure will almost double by the year 2000. "Much of the future course of this epidemic will be determined by our ability to ensure that the rights of children and young people are protected - not only that they are given essential care and support, but also that they are given access to education and information about how HIV is transmitted and to the means to avoid it" declared Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, on World AIDS Day (1December 1997). More on: http://www.unaids.org and http://www.who.org/programmes |
Extraordinary UNESCO/Non-governmental organisations Conference
The purpose of this extraordinary Conference of NGOs in official relations with UNESCO was to formally conclude the June 1996 25th Conference of NGOs. That meeting had been adjourned by Director General Federico Mayor due to non conformity with the substance and rules of the Directives on relations between UNESCO and NGOs. The November 1997 meeting also allowed the adoption of new regulations for the International Conference of NGOs as well as the election of a new NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee.
This new committee was formed for a one-year transitional period leading to the next ordinary conference scheduled at the end of 1998. Education International was elected to the nine-member Liaison Committee. Monique Fouilloux, representing EI, was nominated General Secretary for the transitional period. The Conference of NGOs also chose a new president for the same term: Ms Claire Jourdan, President of the International Federation of Women in Legal Professions.
Global march against child labour hits the road in Asia
Ten thousand people from all over the Philippines gathered in central
Manila 17 January 1998 as child labourers and adult marchers kicked off
the Asian leg of the Global March against child labour which will involve
700 organisations in 97 countries. The six-month march will be the largest
social mobilisation ever organised on behalf of the 250 million child labourers
around the world. The first marchers will travel by bus and on foot, winding
their way through South-East Asia. The Latin America leg will start on
25 February in Brazil and head to Argentina up trough Mexico into Washington
DC (United States). With activities planned across the continent, the African
March will start 21 March, and the European on 1 May. The entire march
will converge in Geneva (Switzerland) in early June 1998 where a new ILO
convention on the most intolerable forms of child labour will be drafted.
EI's objective is to make it possible for all children to get a good education
and have a better future. Want to join? Contact your national coordinator
or visit Education International's Internet site and the Global March's
(English only) Homepage at http://www.globalmarch.org
1998 ITS General Conference examines strategies beyond 2000
The General Secretaries of International Trade Secretariat (ITS, associated
with the ICFTU) held their annual General Conference 8 and 9 January 1998
in Stockholm (Sweden) to review current affairs such as: The ITS/ICFTU
partnership on a range of possible campaigns such as the ones on child
labour, the social clause and the non payment of wages in Russia, with
more to come on: Convenience flags, sporting goods, football, and the Olympics;
Information technology; Joint offices in Washington DC and Hong Kong; Increased
ITS relations at regional level; A campaign on trade and workers' rights
in the lead-up to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Meeting
in May 1998; Various country situations. The initial report of the 'ITS
beyond 2000' Strategy Group was generally endorsed and professional support
will be added to examine various other areas of prospective. EI General
Secretary Fred van Leeuwen attended the Conference which also met with
the (Swedish unions) LO/TCO Council. The next ITS General Conference is
scheduled 14 and 15 January 1999 in Rome (Italy), with an interim meeting
8 June 1998 in London (UK).
A Junior Summit on the Future
Children between the ages of 10 to 16 from every country are invited to enter a contest to participate in the second Junior Summit. 1000 participants will be given multimedia equipment to take part in an on-line forum on ideas, hopes and dreams about the future in a new digital culture. They will be invited to the six-day Summit at MIT October 6-11, 1998, in Cambridge, Mass. (USA), to be followed by local action projects. The deadline for registration is March 31, 1998. For more info: MIT Media Lab (E15-315), 20 Ames St., Cambridge MA 02139 (USA) or the Summit's multilingual WWW site at http://www.jrsummit.net
Education is changing, but not fast enough according to the OECD
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s latest annual international education indicators show that there are profound transformations underway as countries move towards their declared objective of "lifelong learning for all". But, according to OECD, changes are uneven, and have progressed further in some countries than in others. The indicators demonstrate that there is still a long way to go in modernising education structures to meet the demanding challenges of the 21st century.
Data and graphs published in the fifth edition of Education at a Glance
- OECD Indicators 1997* provide a wide range of 41 educational topics for
the OECD's 29 member countries, from the money invested to the outcomes
in terms of student attainment and experiences on the labour market. A
companion volume, Education Policy Analysis 1997, looks at influences on
education spending, indicators of human capital, the literacy performance
of adults (see Monitor Vol 5 No 2), educational failure and success, and
the changing character of tertiary education in responding to new interests
and needs of learners. Data accessible via Internet: http://www.oecd.org/els/stats/els_stat.htm
Key data on education in the European Union, from pre-school to Higher Education
As well as providing (in a lively and clear presentation) an update
of about 120 qualitative and quantitative comparable indicators from previous
editions (see Monitor Vol 3 No 5 and Vol 2 No 4), the originality of this
third (1997) issue also lies in:
Vocational Education and Training On-Line
The World Wide Web offers new opportunities for educators involved in
vocational education and training (VET). UNEVOC (UNESCO's International
Project on Technical and Vocational Education) can be reached (in English
and partly in French) at http://www.unevoc.de
and can allow you to surf to other similar sites. You can also register
on-line on CEDEFOP's Homepage (in English, French and German) at http://www.cedefop.gr
to join the electronic mailing list of the European Centre for the Development
of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) and receive updated news on training issues
regularly in your E-mail. Interesting Internet addresses can be also be
found through the Education Directories of search engines such as Yahoo!,
Magellan, Lycos, Infoseek, etc.
International Women's Day 1998 at Education International
To celebrate International Women's Day 1998, EI distributed 10,000 posters
on the theme "Women's Rights are Human Rights" and released a study on
"Women and the Economy" to be added to the training material produced in
previous years. These documents are also on Internet.
UNICEF annual report focuses on children's nutrition, a silent emergency
Malnutrition is largely a silent and invisible emergency, exacting a terrible toll on children and their families. The result of multiple causes, including a lack of food, common and preventable infections, inadequate care and unsafe water, it plays a role in more than half of the nearly 12 million deaths each year of children under five in developing countries, a proportion unmatched since the Black Death ravaged Europe in the 14th century. Malnutrition blunts intellects and saps the productivity and potential of entire societies, notes the United Nations Children's Fund study.
UNICEF's report The State of the World's Children 1998* details the scale of the loss and the steps being taken to stem it. Children have the right, recognized in international law, to good nutrition. The world has the obligation to protect that right, building on both the great experience gained and the scientific knowledge achieved. Action is both possible and imperative, says the United Nations agency.
The State of the World's Children 1998. 131 pages. Oxford University
Press. ISBN 0-19-829401-8. £9.95 (UK) $12.95 (USA). Also
available in French, German and Spanish. More information on Internet:
http://www.unicef.org
Tolerance - the Threshold for Peace now available from UNESCO Publishing
Based on a 1994 preliminary version bearing the same title (see Monitor
Vol 2 No 2), UNESCO Publishing has just released Tolerance - the Threshold
for Peace*, a resource book in three parts designed to encourage and assist
primary and secondary school teachers and trainers to educate for tolerance.
The book identifies problems of intolerance and suggests ways to teach
students to accept human diversity, manage conflicts and act responsibly.
A timely contribution for the celebration of the Universal Declaration
on Human Rights.
*Tolerance - the Threshold of Peace. Betty Reardon (The Teacher's Library).
Individual copies: FF60, the set: FF150. UNESCO Publishing, 7, place
de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France. Also available in French La tolérance,
porte ouverte sur la paix and Spanish La tolerancia, umbral de la paz.
Key Data on Vocational Training in the European Union
CEDEFOP, Eurostat and the European Commission's DG XXII recently released Key Data on Vocational Training in the European Union comprising a new data collection on initial vocational training covering 167 programmes in the 15 EU Member States and a survey of in-company continuing vocational training from a representative sample of 50 000 entreprises. In the Union as a whole, one-third of young Europeans between 15 and 19 participate in VET. 132 pages, 66 graphs, 9 tables of international definitions. Available in French, English and German (and soon in 8 other languages) via national official publications sales agents and from EUR-OP, rue Mercier 2, L-2920 Luxembourg. Fax: +352 48 85 73. Price: ECU 19.50; IR£ 15,00; UK£ 13,50; US$ 22,50.