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EI
monthly monitor
Vol
5 N°4 March 1998
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Teachers need more resources and support - UNESCO
Tight controls on education budgets in most countries are making it difficult for schools to provide the quality of education that parents and society increasingly demand, according to UNESCO's World Education Report 1998 - Teachers and teaching in a changing world.
The fourth biennial Report focuses on teachers. According to this new publication (reviewed in UNESCO's Education Programme Countdown), the world's 57 million teachers need more resources and support if they are to do their job properly. In the world's poorest countries especially, poor material conditions in schools have meant that the quality of education has suffered.
The 1998 Report provides a unique overview of the changing status and profile of the world's teachers, their working conditions, the pressures they face, and the challenges posed for teachers and teaching by new information and communication technologies.
Many countries have still not fully implemented the 32-year-old UNESCO/ILO Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers, notably with respect to the appointment of qualified teachers and the recognition of their right to negotiate pay and working conditions with employers. The practice of hiring "contract" teachers at lower salaries than already-employed teachers with similar qualifications, for example, is "flatly contrary to the provisions of the Recommendation" points out John Smyth, Chief Editor of the report.
"What society currently expects of teachers in most countries,"
the 178-page document concludes, "could be out of proportion to the
rewards it is prepared to accord them and the difficult conditions under
which many of them work".
Education systems have been slow to adopt new information and communication
technologies, note the authors. Budgetary constraints have been partly
responsible, but so have shortages of good educational software and global
disparities in access to these technologies. Densely packed with information
on trends and developments in education policies affecting educators, Teachers
and teaching in a changing world includes key indicators of student enrolment,
teachers and educational expenditure in over 180 countries. An absolute
must for every teacher union. Education International was invited to take
part in an Editorial Committee meeting and contributed (EI and affiliates)
material outlining the point of view of teachers on various subjects.
Europe
Baltic Sea teacher unions to talk about education, research and development
The member unions in the Baltic area will hold a Conference on the theme
"Sustainable Development through Education and Research" in Tallin (Estonia)
on 14-18 April 1998. The origins of the Conference lie in the separate
Baltic Sea Conferences of teacher unions (see Monitor Vol 1 No 5) and higher
education meetings (Mare Balticum) which have been held in past years.
The grouping of countries and unions reflects the composition of the regular
meetings of national leaders, including Ministers of Education. The detailed
agenda will provide for an exchange of experiences on a wide range of subjects.
Some sessions will be common to all participants; other parts will comprise
parallel specialist groups. The EI European Regional Committee has been
kept fully informed and consulted in the past two years and Education International
will participate in the Conference which should be attended by delegations
from 26 organisations in 10 countries lying on or near the Baltic Sea:
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland,
Russia and Sweden.
Latin America
EI puts education on the agenda before the Summit of the Americas
Education International will hold a forum on education prior to the
Summit of the Americas, a meeting of Heads of States of all countries on
the American continent, taking place 19 and 20 April 1998 in Santiago (Chile).
This EI initiative is part of a series of events organised by the trade
union movement (ICFTU/ORIT, International Trade Secretariats and others)
to develop positions on the issues discussed at the leaders' Summit. Members
of the EI Regional Committee for Latin America (IEAL) will meet in the
Chilean capital on 14 April 1998 and participate in various activities
scheduled on 15, 16 and 17 April, ending with the EI education forum the
17th.
North America & Caribbean
Lively Regional Conference for EI North American/Caribbean affiliates
Over 80 delegates and speakers were in St. Lucia for the second EI North American and Caribbean Regional Conference on The Changing Role of Teacher Unions (see Monitor Vol 5 No 3).
The Women's Workshop and Indigenous Educators Forum set the tone for a lively conference with frank and open discussion. Reports from delegates to the Women's Workshop highlighted the extent to which, in the Caribbean at least, there has been considerable Government response to the Beijing Platform of Action, particularly legislation targeting violence against women. The women emphasised the need to have the opportunity to study in greater depth than a one-day meeting allows, the continuing problems for women in education in the region and to have the time to plan a programme of action together.
The Indigenous Educators Forum highlighted the desperate plight of indigenous peoples throughout the region, including Canada and the United States, with loss of language, poverty, ill-health and educational failure endemic. Positive strategies for change were also shared, including the value of a much more supportive and proactive role by the education unions.
The March 1998 conference focussed on the changing role of education
unions and what is required to work successfully for quality education
and the wellbeing of members. The balance between professional and trade
union issues and the importance of listening to, communicating with and
reflecting the aspirations of the school community were debated, as were
the use of the new information technologies in the process. Participants
shared their rich and diverse experiences including successes in achieving
participation in government education policy development.
Education International Standing Sectoral Committees finalise triennial programme
Secondary Education
Education International's Secondary Education Sectoral Committee held
its third and last meeting of the 1996-98 cycle on 10-11 February 1998
in Brussels (Belgium). Participants were informed of the proposal from
the Executive Board to change the Constitution to replace the present standing
sectoral committees with a more flexible system comprising working groups
and task forces on specific issues. Members of the committee finalised
their report of activities and reviewed work on the three topics (financing,
teacher unions & education reform, social environment & quality
education - see previous Monitors) on the agenda for the 1996-98 period;
they discussed related issues such as tolerance, ethics, violence in school,
partnerships, teachers' status, etc, and agreed that some matters would
require on-going research. Reports were to be redrafted and forwarded for
consideration by the (25-27 March 1998) Executive Board (and possible publication
for affiliates), along with remarks from the committee members on proposed
resolutions for the Second World Congress concerning the status of teachers,
teacher education, illiteracy & education for all.
Vocational Education & Training
The final meeting of the Vocational Education and Training Sectoral
Committee also took place at EI headquarters office (25-26 February 1998)
with a similar agenda (see above); draft congress resolutions were carefully
reviewed with an accent on the VET resolution, on the financing of vocational
education and on the negative impact of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment
(MAI). Studies describing the VET systems in Australia, France, Gabon,
Germany, Honduras, Norway and Sri Lanka were examined by the participants.
The meeting concluded with a series of activities proposed to the Executive
Board for the post-Congress period including networking, data bases, a
round table, monitoring and promotion of VET in general.
Further and Higher Education
The Higher Education Committee met in Melbourne (Australia) from January
28 to 30, 1998. The members welcomed the approval by the November 1997
UNESCO General Conference of the Recommendation on Higher Education Teaching
Personnel, and congratulated EI on its role in achieving this result. [The
full text of the Recommendation can be read or downloaded from EI's WWW
site http://www.ei-ie.org ]. The Committee particularly focused its work
on the finalisation of a draft Congress resolution on higher education
and research policy, and on proposals for an action plan to be incorporated
in the overall EI draft programme and budget, for consideration by the
Executive Board. The committee reaffirmed its wish for a meeting of affiliates
from that sector in conjunction with the July 1998 World Congress in Washington
D.C. (USA). Concerning UNESCO's World Conference (5-9 October 1998 in Paris),
it was recommended that the secretariat organise a one-day meeting of all
EI participants to prepare, coordinate and ensure that Education International
and its unions play a major role as a non-governmental organisation.
The Melbourne meeting was held in relation with a session of the ICUTO
(International Conference of University Teachers Organisations). The future
of that group was discussed in conjunction with the future development
of EI activities in this sector. After lengthy and animated discussions
a motion was presented and adopted by the ICUTO Conference.
All individuals involved in EI's sectoral activities
during the last three years (with the support of EI coordinators Monique
Fouilloux for Higher Education and Ulf Fredriksson for the other
committees) were thanked for their active participation.
Strong, dynamic participation in EI industrialised countries Round Table
EI affiliates from over 25 OECD countries met 2 to 4 February 1998 in
Madrid (Spain) to talk about Changing Education Systems: new issues, new
strategies, new policies.
The goal of the round table, organised with the cooperation of FETE/UGT
and F.E.CC.OO colleagues, was to allow informal reflections on present
and future education reforms in industrialised nations and the related
sensitive issues. Interventions from Jarl Bengtsson, CERI/OECD, Mary Killeen,
European Parents Association (EPA), Hanne Johnsrud, Organising Bureau of
European School Student Unions (OBESSU) and Valeriano Munoz, Madrid Commerce
& Industry Board, widened the perspective on relations between education
and the civil society.
Many specific themes were discussed:
Celebrating Freedom of Association, the Right to Organise and to Bargain Collectively
The international protection of trade union rights came in response to the horrors of World War II, and from the conviction that lasting world peace depended upon social justice. In the post-war years, the International Labour Organisation (ILO, created in 1919) adopted Convention No 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948) and Convention No 98 concerning the Application of the Principles of the Rights to Organise and to Bargain Collectively (1949). [Both texts can be found in Defending Teacher Trade Union Rights published by EI in 1994.]
Taken together these two conventions provide the key definition of trade
union rights throughout the world. Additional international recognition
came in the 1948 United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) invites unions
around the world to commemorate the 50th anniversary of these international
standards by urging governments to implement both conventions (ratify them
if they have not done so), and by pressing employers to honour these principles
still under threat in many countries. The theme of the ICFTU campaign is:
1948-1998: Unions still fighting for union rights, for human rights. (A
camera-ready leaflet is available for local use- your publications, distribution
to members, etc).
Tuesday 28 April 1998 - 3rd International Day of Mourning
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) once
again invites workers around the world to commemorate, on 28 April,
those who have died, were injured or contracted diseases over the year
because of unsustainable work practices (see
Monitor Vol 4 No 3). The plight of child workers has been selected
as a special theme for the 1998 Day of Mourning. More at: http://www.icftu.org
Women and the Economy: new EI study condemns discrimination against women
While more than 70% of teachers are women, the discrimination in the education sector is eloquent. Women are more frequently given the responsibility of taking care of younger children and other feminine tasks, as witnessed by their presence in greater numbers in the pre-school and primary sectors (90%) and other disciplines seen as "feminine". Men, in contrast are present in greater numbers in the sectors dealing with secondary (51%) and higher education (76%) and vocational training, and occupy the majority of management posts. Representing the majority of members within EI-affiliated organisations in most regions, women nevertheless represent a very small minority at decision-making levels. The disadvantaged status of women in society is analysed in greater detail in Women and the Economy, a 45-page report compiled by Natasha David and released (with training material) by Education International for International Women's Day, 8 March 1998. More information can be found in a preview published in the September 1997 EI Magazine and on the EI Website.
This research should be followed up by the EI Status of Women Committee
meeting, 19-20 March 1998 in Brussels (Belgium). Other items on the agenda
were: a report of the 42nd Session of the United Nations Commission on
the Status of Women (2-13 March 1998) attended by EI, the 2nd triennial
report on women in education and teachers' organisations (see
Harare resolution in Highlights from the 1st World Congress - 1995),
Congress matters, the Women's caucus of 24 July 1998 in Washington DC,
etc.
TIMMS report shows student achievement in the final year of secondary school
The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS, see Monitor
Vol 4 No 1 p. 15 and EI Magazine June 1997) recently released achievement
results of students (by gender) from 21 countries in their final year of
secondary school. The Netherlands and Sweden were the top-performing countries
in mathematics and science literacy. Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark,
Canada, New Zealand and Austria also performed above the international
average. Countries below this average were: Hungary, the Russian Federation,
Italy, the United States, Lithuania, Cyprus and South Africa. These studies
are sponsored by the Amsterdam-based International Association for the
Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). A complete database will be
available on CD-ROM in June 1998. A brochure (in English) with highlights
of the study and an order form has been sent to EI members. More information
on Internet: http://wwwcsteep.bc.edu
or at the TIMMS International Study Centre, Campion Hall 323, Boston
College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02167, USA. Tel: +1 617 552 4521 Fax:
+1 617 552 8419 E-mail: timms@bc.edu
Key Data on Vocational Training in the European Union
CEDEFOP, Eurostat and the European Commission's Directorate-General
XXII recently released Key Data on Vocational Training in the European
Union. The study comprises a new data collection on initial vocational
education and training (VET) 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 firms. In the Union as a whole, one-third
of young Europeans between 15 and 19 participate in VET programmes. 132
pages, 66 graphs, 9 tables of international definitions. ISBN0 92-828-1322-3.
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.
Tolerance - the Threshold for Peace now available from UNESCO
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 of teaching
students to accept human diversity, manage conflicts and act responsibly.
A timely contribution for the celebration of the (1948) Universal Declaration
on Human Rights.
Mine-Awareness Education for schoolchildren
Mine-Awareness Education contains source materials on mine awareness
for primary schoolchildren in high-risk areas such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In French La sensibilisation au danger des mines, in Spanish La concientizacion
sobre las minas antipersonal. Free of charge from PUB, IBE, P.O. Box 199,
1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.
E-mail: unesco_8@pop1.unicc.org
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 1998 issue of the United Nations Children's
Fund annual 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 UN 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 on Internet: http://www.unicef.org
EI Officers hold a series of meetings as the Second World Congress approaches
EI Officers met 4 and 5 February 1998 in Madrid (Spain) following the
Round Table for EI members from the OECD Zone. The better part of the meeting
was devoted to the preparation of the forthcoming World Congress: new date,
new venue, pre-congress seminars for Asian and African delegates, invitations
to guests, discussion themes & panels, congress resolutions (with an
accent on public education), draft budget & programme for 1999-2001,
amendments to the Constitution. Other items on the agenda covered membership,
conferences and meetings, 1997 financial statements, and the venue (region)
of the Third World Congress in 2001. Most of these subjects were to be
presented to the Tenth Executive Board 25-27 March 1998 in Brussels. The
Officers - the President, General Secretary and Vice-Presidents - made
appointments for their next meetings: prior to the March & July Executive
Boards, and also 7 & 8 May 1998 (dates to be confirmed).
EI Congress dossiers featured in the next EI Magazine
The forthcoming issue of the Education International quarterly magazine
will highlight the sub-themes to be discussed in the four Round Tables
at the Second World Congress. A special dossier will feature articles on
the financing of education, partnerships for teacher unions, rights and
responsibilities of teachers, and lifelong learning. Another section will
deal with the consequences of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment
(MAI) for workers and for the education sector in particular. An article
examines the problematic of ethics in the area of human genetics. The challenges
and issues confronting teachers in the North America/Carribean region will
be in the spotlight, with a portrait of Haitian teacher Rudy Edme, International
Secretary of the Konfederasyon Nasyonal Edikatè Dayiti (KNED/CNEH).
Finally, the Magazine will give you an opportunity to learn more about
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO,
created in 1946.
The EI Magazine is sent free to EI unions and available on Internet.
Subscription is BEF 600 to cover mailing cost.
"Why in the world did you pick an apple as our Congress logo?"...
... seems to be the question of the day in EI circles. If you guessed
a connection with Newton's apple (and the Law of Gravity), or New York,
USA (the Big Apple), or new technologies (Apple, MacIntosh), think again.
No relation either (hopefully) between our World Congress and Greek mythology's
golden 'apple of discord' which began a chain of events that led to the
Trojan War...
In North America, apples have long been associated with schools and
educators, as pupils traditionally used to offer apples - preferably red
ones- to their teacher. In 1985, the USA issued a stamp(1) heralding public
education showing "quill pen, spectacles, penmanship - and an apple for
the teacher." Much of classroom-related paraphernalia marketed in the United
States (pens, bookmarks, exercise books, key rings, magnets, souvenirs,
etc) still refers to that picturesque tradition. Even today, many American
and Canadian teacher unions use this healthy and tasty symbolic fruit to
adorn their newsletters, campaign leaflets on public education, etc. From
25 to 29 July 1998, teachers from all continents will share that taste
for quality education as they meet in Washington D.C. (USA) for the Second
World Congress of Education International under the theme "Education: Building
the 21st Century". And yes, every teacher attending the EI Congress at
the Washington Hilton & Towers will be offered an apple...
(1) from Raymond Schuessler's collection of stamps on education in The Teacher, NUT (UK).
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Testimonies from teachers and various personalities from the world of education have been recorded from a special presentation broadcast last year on the European Commission's Eutelsat II satellite to commemorate World Teachers' Day. VHS PAL or SECAM cassettes of this video entitled Teachers on the Front Line are now available on request in English and French versions for EI European affiliates who would like to use them in their 1998 WTD activities or on other occasions. UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education Colin N. Power, European Commission DG XXII (Education, Training, Youth) Director Domenico Lenarduzzi and EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen are part of a panel discussing major educational and social issues. The panellists comment on the evolution of school systems, on the expectations of the parents and the communities, on the responsibilities of various partners, and on the crucial role of teachers who are on the front line to meet the challenges of educating the young in a changing global context. Interviews with the European Parents Association's (EPA) President Mary Killeen, ETUCE's General Secretary Alain Mouchoux as well as comments from European teacher trade unionists are also featured. The one-hour program includes excerpts from the EI-UNESCO videos Teachers Make the Difference (already sent to all EI members in June 1997) on the situation of teachers around the world. Contact the Brussels secretariat for more information. |