Second EI World Congres
Trade Union and Human Rights
Publications

Second EI World Congress
 
Shaping the Future of Education

“More than 1000 participants from over 135 countries have gathered here to debate issues which will shape not only the future of Education International, but also the future of education for decades to come. We are here to better understand how, through education, we can build pathways for the peoples of the world to enter the 21st Century”, declared President Mary Hatwood Futrell at the opening of the Second EI World Congress, July 25, 1998, in Washington D.C. (USA).

She recalled the decision of the leaders of the former IFFTU and WCOTP to build an organisation to fight for education provision, teachers' conditions, human rights and women's rights. The EI President paid tribute to the great contribution of the late Albert Shanker (also honoured later at the EI Awards Dinner) and delegates stood in silence in his memory.

We must argue, said the EI leader, that investing in education is investing in human growth and social cohesion; teaching is a matter of life and death and education must be measured by the needs of children and not by the greed of nations. In some parts of the world, economic resurgence has seemed to clash with freedom; teacher trade unionism is not a barrier to economic progress, she said.

Mary Futrell spoke of the continuing work for peace in places such as Bosnia, Belarus, Northern Ireland and Rwanda. The nuclear tests in India and Pakistan were not progress, but a step to catastrophe. There are already too many guns in the world; we need computers, food, health care and safe schools.

Our hosts. The Presidents of the host unions, Sandra Feldman (American Federation of Teachers - AFT) and Bob Chase (National Education Association - NEA) welcomed delegates. Whilst schools in the USA were improving, they said, there was a majority of members in the US Congress for privatisation and voucher schemes; such people believed that competition would improve education -- teachers believed the opposite; schools in poor areas would become the schools of last resort. 25% of children in the richest country in the world live in poverty; 1.2 million of them go home to a house with a gun. But knowledge is power and education is freedom.

The ICFTU. Congress was then addressed by Bill Jordan, General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), with which EI works so closely. He expressed the opinion that EI was a potent mix of education and trade unionism. Apart from playing a vital role in ICFTU and the work of the International Trade Secretariats, EI's work in UNESCO was crucial and he warmly praised its leading action in the fight against child labour.

On a wider front, the ICFTU leader believed that the tide was turning in the recent advance of liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation. This was not only the result of the valuable opposition of the trade union movement; with 25 million people out of work in three Asian countries in the current crisis, Governments could see that they had deprived themselves of the tools to put the situation right.

The ILO. Katherine Hagen, Deputy Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), drew attention to the task of that organisation to promote democracy and eliminate poverty and spoke of the close collaboration with EI in subjects such as the rights of indigenous peoples, opposition to child labour and in the work with UNESCO. She drew attention to the recent Declaration on Fundamental Rights at Work and the ILO response to EI representations on the non-payment of teachers' salaries in Russia. Ms Hagen welcomed the visible evidence of EI's policies on equal rights in the composition of the Congress and supported the work of the International on the subjects of structural adjustment and education reform.

The UNESCO. The final address of the opening session was given by Federico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO. He said that he was proud to speak as a former teacher, a former Minister of Education and as a father and grandfather. He praised the work of EI, particularly its reaction to the Delors Report, linking with this his experience of close cooperation with Mary Futrell and the late Al Shanker. No education reform, he said, can succeed without the full involvement of the teaching profession from the beginning. The highest result of education is tolerance and we must give each individual the ability to make his or her own decisions. Without peace, there is no education or justice.

“Today, we are already convinced that only education offers every human being the capability of designing his own future and gives everybody the capability to make his own decision based on his own reflections and thoughts. All this depends now on the political will of our leaders.”

The 1995-1998 Progress Report. A highlight of the Congress is the introduction to the Progress Report on the work of the last three years given by the General Secretary. In his statement, Fred van Leeuwen stated that the 20th Century had seen the widespread development of standards, but the failure to implement them; in the 21st Century, we must do the unfinished business. Access to education is still severely limited in much of the world.

The 1995 Congress had identified structural adjustment as a major challenge. The Asian crisis had now produced a demand by OECD for action by governments; this was a sign that the pendulum was swinging -- but only slightly.

We have heard OECD arguments calling for higher student/staff ratios; but what education fundamentally needs is well-trained teachers. In many parts of the world, there is an ageing profession; in the European Union more than half the teachers are aged over 50; in secondary education, the figure is 65%.

The General Secretary was proud that EI's work on a Human Rights Barometer had now produced a major publication which would be revised every three years. * Frankly the contents were depressing -- China, Burma, Kosovo, Ethiopia and Nigeria are only a few of the countries where major infringements of human rights are apparent and he spoke of the work of EI in some of those countries.

On the internal governance of EI, Fred van Leeuwen welcomed the agreements associating ETUCE (Europe) and CUT (Caribbean) with the structure of Education International.

There was still work to be done on issues of equality within EI. Well over half its members were women but far less than half of the office holders in member unions were women. Gay and lesbian teachers were still often forced to keep this secret.

In concluding, he expressed the hope that teachers throughout the world could feel a sense of ownership of Education International.

“In Stockholm, we created this organisation. In Harare we consolidated our unity. In Washington we will take a new step. Democracy, human rights and social justice are the product of a collective effort by people determined to make a difference, EI is that same effort, that same collective effort. In the 20th Century we defined our ideals and aspirations. In the 21st Century, we will realise them. For all.”

Areas covered included European structures; education investment and the impact of neo-liberalism; the position of women in many countries; casual and short-term contracts and "lay-offs" of teachers; the continued imprisonment of the leader of the Ethiopian teachers; the need to concentrate on action and not on internal matters; policies towards the World Bank; the grave problems of specific African and Latin American countries; Kosovo and the policies of the Montenegran teachers within Yugoslavia; methods of fighting government policy in Latin America; nuclear testing; upholding international conventions; the UNESCO declaration on higher education personnel; World Teachers' Day; the developing situation in Hong Kong; links with the wider trade union movement; the situation of Cyprus.

The WHO. Consideration of the Progress Report was followed by a stimulating contribution on health education by Jack Jones of the World Health Organisation (WHO). His address covered areas such as nutrition, AIDS, alcohol and tobacco and produced comments from delegates from around the world, including some on the special problems of girls' education, mental health and the differences between the levels of education.

Round Tables. An innovation in the 1998 Congress was the afternoon devoted to Round Tables (see our next Magazine), permitting less formal discussion on certain subjects on the basis of presentations and background documents which had been distributed. The reports on the discussions on Learning throughout Life, Education and the Economy, the Rights and Responsibilities of Educators and Building Coalitions for Reform will now be considered by the Executive Board.

Public Services. Warm fraternal greetings were given by Hans Engleberts, Secretary General of the Public Services International (PSI), with which EI works so closely. On behalf of their 20 million members, he attacked the way in which the word "professionalism" was used to separate workers from each other and to discourage workers from joining real trade unions; he was pleased to see this breaking down. In relation to working arrangements with EI, he particularly welcomed the joint EI/PSI representations to the Bretton Wood institutions.

Gaston De la Haye, Secretary General of World Confederation of Teachers (WCT), spoke shortly before the Congress of his own teachers' International, about to commence in Kuala Lumpur. Whilst strongly supporting developing dialogue, he did not feel that structural developments on the European model were automatically transferable elsewhere, due to the geopolitical situation and the existence of different trade union organisations. He welcomed close contact between the General Secretaries.

The World Bank. Another innovation was the invitation to a representative of the Education Department of the World Bank to address the Congress, reflecting the dialogue which now exists between the two organisations. Marys O’Rourke stressed the aim of the World Bank to reduce poverty and identified the increasing emphasis in its work on teacher education and the education of girls. On the basis of regional action plans and sector strategies, the World Bank hoped to see both a clear reduction in the number of "out of school" children, and governments giving more support to public and private investment in education.

Constitution and By-laws. The agenda item on amendments to the Constitution and By-laws brought detailed and thoughtful debate. The changes proposed by the Executive Board, which would abolish the Sectoral Standing Committees for the various levels of education and use the resources saved for more flexible machinery such as round tables and advisory bodies, were approved.

Similarly, the Congress endorsed the proposal that, in future, the Status of Women Committee should be composed of members of the Executive Board, so that meetings could be held in conjunction with Board meetings and the savings used for greater participation by member organisations in this important area of work. After a lively debate, however, the Congress insisted that the Committee should be composed only of women members of the Executive Board.

The debate on a new system of paying membership dues was similarly thoughtful, building on the major debate at Harare in 1995 and the exhaustive consultation exercise undertaken since. Fred van Leeuwen reported that the system of linking dues to the GNP of a country was the fairest way of implementing the constitutional requirement to take into account the economic circumstances of a country. The system based on declared starting salaries of a primary teacher was frankly not working. The proposed system did, however, have significant safeguards against sudden large increases for any member union and, in addition, unions with specific problems would still have the right to seek formal special agreements. Despite anxieties about the timing of the changes in the light of current financial problems in, for instance, the Far East, the Congress approved the new system for implementation in 1999, with a proviso that the 2001 Congress should receive an analysis of the effects on regional voting strengths.

The AFL-CIO. Congress was briefly addressed by John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, the trade union centre of the United States. He spoke warmly of the work done by the two American affiliates of EI and said that educators were at the forefront of the fight for progress, human rights and the freedom to organise.

Program and Budget. In moving the Financial Report for the last time, Greg O'Keefe, Chair of the Finance Committee, drew attention to the fact that there had been a surplus in each of the last three years. He thanked the General Secretary and staff responsible and the report was approved.

Fred van Leeuwen introduced the debate on the proposed Program and Budget for 1999-2001, stressing that EI was a highly successful organisation. He pointed out that the proposals and financial amounts were closely related to the decisions already taken by the Congress on the development of flexible membership participation in various activities and there was a determination to use the new technologies to help member unions. The proposal to devote 0.7% of dues income to the EI Solidarity Fund was highly significant. After an amendment to ensure that reports from the regional round tables would be referred to the Status of Women Committee, the report was approved.

Resolutions. More than a day was devoted to resolutions submitted by member unions and the Executive Board plus urgent resolutions on matters which had arisen since the agenda was compiled. The resolutions reached the floor of the Congress for debate after careful consideration by a Resolutions Committee (appointed by the Congress and containing members from all regions).

Congress condemned the systematic violation of human rights in Kosovo and called for an immediate end to armed operations. Later in the Congress, in response to news of the massacre of an Albanian/Kosovo family, delegates called for the intervention of the UN Security Council.

Congress strongly protested at the nuclear tests undertaken by India and Pakistan in an urgent resolution submitted by NIKKYOSO, the Japan Teachers’ Union. Whilst delegates recognised the desire of some to criticise the established nuclear powers at the same time, Congress took the view that this resolution was specifically directed at  the urgent situation of the current tests and should not be altered.

An intense debate took place on a resolution submitted by the Executive Board on the rights of lesbian and gay education personnel. The resolution condemned discrimination and harassment of this group and supported their right not to hide their sexual orientation at the workplace. There were several  contributions by delegates, questioning the need for such a resolution at the present time. Views were expressed that the resolution would be misunderstood, would undermine the position of a teacher as a role model and would encourage moral decline in schools; it did not take sufficient account of national and religious differences.

In reply, supporters of the motion reminded delegates that it is always controversial to take a stand; twenty years ago, teachers were being discouraged from speaking out on racial discrimination and women's rights. After deeply serious debate, the motion was carried.

There was a lively debate on a proposal to undertake a review of EI's structure and policies during the next three years, with proposals for change being put to the next Congress if desired. It was argued that such a move was unnecessary at this time, following the decisions already taken at the Congress to change committee structures and involve unions more closely in policy formation. However, the resolution was carried.

A large number of resolutions were passed expeditiously, some of them coming from member unions, others from the Executive Board, some of them representing an up-dating of policy agreed in Harare. Full details will be published in due course * , but the subjects included Algeria; the rights of indigenous people; the globalisation of the economy; the status of teachers; higher education and research; development cooperation; health education; human rights; the currency crisis; vocational education; early childhood education; child labour. The Executive Board's major resolution on a "Global Campaign to Defend and Enhance Public Education" was passed unanimously. Read our next Magazine for more developments on this subject and the work to be accomplished by EI and its affiliates.

Presidential Address. An undoubted "first" was the address by the President of the United States, Bill Clinton. Mary Futrell introduced him as a Man of Peace, drawing attention to his work in the Middle East, Bosnia and Northern Ireland. In the United States, he had a constant concern for the public school system which had enabled a boy of humble origins from a small town in a poor State to go to Georgetown and Oxford Universities; he was a real friend of the AFT and NEA.

In his address, President Clinton stated that the 21st century must be the century of education and the teachers. Education is necessary to combat ethnic, religious and racial hatred. He spoke about the current disputes with his opponents in the United States to provide smaller classes and support training schemes during the Summer. At world level, he said, you can learn a lot about a country by simply visiting a public school. To a very enthusiastic reception, he said that to be a teacher is to be an optimist!
 

“A world-class  education for all children is essential to combatting the fear, the ignorance, the prejudice that undermine freedom all across the globe today in the form of ethnic, religious and racial hatreds. It is essential to creating a worldwide middle class. It is essential to global prosperity. It is essential to fulfilling the most basic needs of the human body and the human spirit. That is why the 21st century must be the century of education and the century of the teacher.”

Bill Clinton

The Congress ended with the introduction of new Board members, best wishes to retiring ones and thanks to those involved in the organisation of the Congress, related activities and memorable social events.

During this successful Second World Congress, an impressive and challenging agenda into the next century has been set for EI and its affiliates; we must now work together to implement the policies and actions adopted by the representatives of EI’s 23 million members to shape the future of our societies.
 

TRADE UNION AND HUMAN RIGHTS

ICFTU’s Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights

The 1998 edition of the authoritative ICFTU report describes violations of the 50-year old ILO Conventions No 87 (on Freedom of Association) and 98 (on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining) in 115 countries. The survey also documents some 299 murdered trade unionists in 1997, of which 156 were Colombian (61 of them teachers), around 100 were Algerian, and over 20 were Brazilian rural workers. Trade unionists were also killed in Ethiopia, Morocco, Argentina, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Iran and Kosovo. Over 2,300 workers were arrested or detained for union activities, 1,681 were ill-treated or tortured, and over 50,000 workers lost their jobs. According to ICFTU statistics, the legislation of at least 80 countries violates trade union rights in one way or another.

The CEART Report now on Internet

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) website now includes pages (in English) on Sectoral Activities at http://www.ilo.org/sector By clicking the SECTORS box on that page, you can access basic information about major concerns in education, meetings, and selected publications such as the latest report of the Joint ILO/UNESCO Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (CEART) or the new UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Personnel. Spanish and French pages will be developed in coming months.

Ronaldo teams up with World AIDS Campaign

One of the world’s top football players has joined with UNAIDS to promote its campaign to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS among young people and to involve them in the response to the global epidemic. “As a young person, I am very aware of the threat of this virus, and I believe that I can play an important role in standing up to this threat. It is up to us, the young people of the world, to make a difference. So many young men and women my age think that if they know their partner they won’t get infected. But it just isn’t true. We need to protect our partners and ourselves each and every time. When I play to win, I play safe”.  A poster signed by Ronaldo and carrying the “Play Safe!” message has been contributed to this UNAIDS Campaign supported by Education International (see Monitor Vol 5 No 4&5). More information in English, French and Spanish on Internet at: http://www.unaids.org

BITS AND BYTES *** At its 24 July 1998 meeting, the Executive Board accepted two new member organisations: Syndicat des enseignants du Congo (SY.E.CO, Democratic Republic of Congo) and National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI, Uganda). The membership of CHAKIWATA (Tanzania) and UTU (Uganda) has been suspended. *** All UNESCO mail postmarked at the Paris Headquarters now carries a slogan heralding • World Teachers’ Day  • Journée mondiale des enseignants • Día Mundial de los Docentes • 5 OCT. *** In the next 12-18 months, some 150,00 persons are expected to visit the Global Mariner, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) exhibition ship now touring the globe’s major sea ports in a campaign against flags of convenience and substandard shipping. Some 2,200 seafarers die every year and more than 10,000 are injured in work-related accidents. The vessel (currently in Europe) carries messages about the issue of globalisation and human rights, including a small EI exhibit. More info at: http://www.itf.org.uk *** National round tables between parliamentarians (members of the Education Commission of national parliaments), teachers’ unions and the media were planned by UNESCO and its field offices in a few countries. France, Sénégal, Gabon, Zambia, Chile, Cambodia and Thailand were among the locations chosen to hold such forums about teaching and education as a World Teachers’ Day 1998 activity. *** Congress-goers collected some 2,500 kilos (5,000 pounds) of publications at EI’s stand in Washington D.C.! Other exhibitors included EI affiliates involved in development cooperation and international organisations such as UNESCO, ILO, WHO, Amnesty International. A booth presented Kéo, a futuristic project to launch a satellite into orbit early next century that would return to Earth in 50,000 years, delivering a cargo of works of art and CDs containing a contemporary ‘library of Alexandria’, as well as millions of messages from today’s inhabitants of our planet. A brainchild of French artist Jean-Marc Philippe, Kéo is supported by various scientists and European space agencies. More at: http://www.keo.org . *** In our next issue: a report on EI’s participation in ILO’s 86th International Labour Conference, and in the International Conference on AIDS last June in Geneva. ***

PUBLICATIONS

UNICEF Progress of Nations 1998: Championing children’s rights

Since 1993, The Progress of Nations reminds us annually that rhetoric about children must be backed up with action. The 1998 edition of the UNICEF publication looks at children’s civic rights, emphasizing the right to be registered at birth and hence to qualify for education, health and other social services; a third of newborns unregistered (40 million children each year) are at risk. It also charts child immunization progress, focuses on the vulnerabilities of adolescence in developing countries, and outlines the growing shame of homelessness in the richest nations. To learn more about the activities of the United Nations Children’s Fund, read also the 1998 UNICEF Annual Report and visit http://www.unicef.org

1998 World Development Indicators published by the World Bank

Living standards have risen dramatically over the past 25 years, but progress has been far from even, says the World Bank. Twelve countries accounted for 80% of the world’s poor in 1993. In developing regions, some 30% of the population (1,3 billion persons) live on less than US$1 a day.

The second annual edition of the award-winning World Bank’s World Development Indicators (ISBN 0-8213-3701-4124-3, 370 pages, US$60.) provides an expanded world view of major development questions and covers 148 countries on issues such as access to education, educational attainment, gender and education, education policy and infrastructure, health services, child labour, environment, unemployment, GNP growth, defense expenditures and trade in arms. A companion CD-ROM version (US$275.) contains time series extended back to 1960 wherever data permits. For those who want a brief overview of the world economy, the trilingual (English, French, Spanish) World Bank Atlas (ISBN 0-8213-4127-8, 64 pages, US$20.) presents colourful maps, tables, and figures for 43 indicators in 210 economies More information at http://www.worldbank.org and from World Bank publications distributors.

UNFPA’s The State of the World Population 1998 studies the New Generations

The “Day of 6 Billion” will be observed on 16 June 1999. Whether world population then goes on to 8, 10 or 12 billion depends on policy decisions and individual actions in the next decade. Whatever its size, over 90 per cent of the net addition will be in today’s developing countries, reveals the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report The State of World Population 1998 released 2 September 1998. Greater numbers of people are living to older ages, and higher proportions of most countries’ populations have lived at least sixty years. Today there are more than 578 million people over 60, and this generation is growing at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, unprecedented numbers of teenagers, the result of past fertility, are growing towards adulthood. There are over 1.05 billion young people between 15 and 24 today. More information at: http://www.unfpa.org
 

 Recent and forthcoming Education International publications

* Education is a Human Right – 1998 EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector. Previewed at the World Congress and launched worldwide in English, French and Spanish on World Teachers’ Day, 5 October 1998, this impressive report highlights the relationship between children’s right to education, respect for educators’ human and trade union rights and the extent of child labour in every country where EI has members. The 369-page Barometer also includes UNESCO indicators as well as the texts of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and of several fundamental ILO Conventions. A must for all educationists.
Price per copy: BEF 450 plus shipping. (Bulk prices on request).

* Development Cooperation Quarterly Vol 1 – July 1998. The aim of this attractive new 8-page EI bulletin is to inform about recent developments, current events, and views on the permanent debate about development cooperation. More information about the EI policies and programs can be found on EI’s website. Available in English, French and Spanish.

* A new colourful flyer released at the World Congress depicts EI in a nutshell giving a brief description of its aims, structure, program of activities and partnerships as well as a few useful addresses and statistics. Available in English, French and Spanish.

* International Conference on Higher Education Report – A Teachers’ Perspective. The proceedings from the EI conference on Higher Education held in March 1997 at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris (see Monitor Vol 4 No 4) are now available in English, French and Spanish.

* Democratic Societies: Living and Learning Together. A 100-page report of the EI Conference for affiliates in Central and Eastern Europe held 3-13 November in Bled (Slovenia) has been published last July. Copies (in English only) are available on request for EI affiliates.

* Trade Union Rights are Human Rights. A set of cards for training sessions aiming to provoke debates on various issues and increase our knowledge of fundamental trade union rights.

*  Highlights from the Second World Congress of Education International. Third edition – October 1998. Speeches and Resolutions from the 25-29 July meeting held in Washington D.C. (USA).

*  EI Handbook (1998). Third edition – October 1998. Updated EI Constitution and By-laws, regional by-laws, Executive Board, staff and membership lists.
 

The Quiet Peacemakers – A new series of portraits of teachers for WTD 1998
 

The ‘Quiet Peacemakers’ are the unsung teachers who build peace in the hearts of their pupils. Their role as educators goes far beyond giving lessons. In situations of armed conflict or ethnic rivalry, they are the ones who provide continuity, cohesion and normality. In deprived urban areas or snug middle-class enclaves, they show their pupils other ways of seeing the world. Whether through dialogue, special projects or --most of all – personal example, they promote the universal values of peace and tolerance. In the footsteps of Portraits in Courage, a 1997 UNESCO/EI publication which some EI affiliates reproduced in their magazines or newsletters, The Quiet Peacemakers features teachers from conflict zones such as Algeria, Burundi, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka or so-called peaceful areas such as France, Italy or the United States. Available from the UNESCO Global Action program on Education for All and from Education International, the publication can also be read or downloaded from http://www.education.unesco.org

STOP PRESS: Educational TV network ATEI ( http://roble.pntic.mec.es/atei ) will broadcast the 1997 and 1998 EI/UNESCO videos in Spanish in a series of programs about teachers 5-8 and 12 October 1998 on the Hispasat satellite covering Europe and the Americas (see Monitor Vol 5 No 5 p.8).  French TV station TF1 will air a 26-minute reportage on teachers, Saturday 26 September 1998 at 13:20 (local time in Paris). ?