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Education International Officers met in Washington

A demanding program for the next triennium

On 16-17 November 1998, the newly elected Officers (the President, General Secretary and Vice-Presidents) met in Washington D.C. (USA) for the first time since the July World Congress. The follow-up to this momentous event was among the items reviewed. The Officers examined various Congress procedures (in particular the issue of resolutions), discussed a draft proposal outlining the criteria for granting assistance for the 3rd World Congress, and decided to investigate possible convention venues for 2001 in Asia. A comprehensive evaluation report of the 1998 Congress, including budgetary matters, will be presented to the next Officers and Executive Board meetings.

Future strategies were also canvassed. These included the exploration of new membership areas (for example in Eastern Europe) and the need for member organisations to deal with the development of regionally-based economic blocs and entities (e.g. APEC and NAFTA countries). Other topics, such as a review of working methods and a discussion of affiliates’ needs (especially concerning Development Cooperation activities), appear on the agenda for 1999. Following consultations with the regions, a plan will be developed for the Women’s Round Tables proposed in the 1999-2001 Program and Budget adopted in Washington D.C. A plan of action is also underway for the organisation of the Regional Round tables introduced by the new Section on advisory bodies in the EI Constitution (Art. 14) and By-Laws (Art. 22). The situation in Central America, Russia, Indonesia, and Kosovo got particular attention and various measures were agreed such as sending missions to certain countries.

In the review of EI programs, the child labour campaign was emphasised, with EI to be represented in the African, Asian and Latin American strategic planning meetings currently underway. Plans for lobbying up to the next ILO Conference in June 1999 were presented. The Officers agreed to the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding between EI and UNESCO; a previous agreement was concluded in 1994 (see Monitor Vol 1 No 7). EI will also consider co-operation with OXFAM and parents’ associations in organising a worldwide campaign on Education for All with an emphasis on public education. Meetings of member organisations in the OECD zone are envisaged for October 1999 in Mexico and early October 2000 in Finland in connection with World Teachers’ Day.

Proposed dates for Executive Board and Officers meetings and the Status of Women Committee were set for the period 1999-2001, with the next meetings scheduled for 24-27 March 1999. The Third World Congress will be convened from 25 July to 29 July 2001.

As reflected in the numerous Congress documents and publications, the implementation of the policy resolutions and of the 1999-2001 Program adopted by the Congress have set a demanding agenda for EI and its member organisations over the next three years and into the 21st Century.

Our best wishes for every success and happiness throughout the coming year(s). 

REGIONS
 

Asia-Pacific

Teacher unions from Asia & the Pacific preoccupied by global and regional economy

The EI Asia-Pacific Regional Committee met on 11-12 November 1998 in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) with an agenda covering items such as: the 1997-98 Report of Regional Activities; the Asian Economic Crisis and its impact on education; the adoption of the EI Asia Pacific Forum conclusions (held a day earlier -see below); and a retrospective of the Second EI World Congress. EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen and Vice-President Sharan Burrow took part in the meeting chaired by Yuji Kawakami (Japan). There are 59 member organisations from 31 countries with a total membership of about 8,900,000 in the Asia-Pacific region. A thorough country-by-country review revealed that the economic crisis had drastically reduced public expenditure, causing deterioration of educational facilities in schools, voluntary or arbitrary salary cuts, increases in education related fees, large numbers of student dropouts, retrenchment of teachers, and increased child labour in several nations. On the trade union and human rights scene, state repression and employers’ intimidation tactics against trade unions continue in the region, for example in Australia, China, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia. The Committee agreed to give special support to PGRI (Indonesia - 1.3 million members); now that the 25-year-old ban on independent unions has been lifted, our colleagues want to revert to their former status of an independent organisation, and at the same time avoid the creation of a multiplicity of unions formed along religious and ethnic lines.
 

EI Education Forum in Kuala Lumpur

Some 50 participants attended the EI Education Forum (10 November 1998) organised in a series of Asia-Pacific NGO activities leading to the governmental APEC summit. Under the general theme Confronting Globalisation: Re-asserting Children’s Rights to Universal Free Public Education, speakers and working groups dealt with literacy, the consequences of the Asian crisis for education, public education & globalisation, and trade union strategies to improve access and quality education. A statement was forwarded to the APEC leaders’ meeting. The declaration called (in short) for increased education financing; alleviation of the damage done by international monetary institutions; work in partnership with teachers; strategic plans to ensure IT access and technology literacy for all children; control over market-driven processes such as the franchising of education; legislation and action against child labour; review of taxation, and inclusion of a tax on global financial transactions; focus on research and development in education.
 

Europe

Reports presented to the EI European Regional Committee Meeting 7 December 1998

Early Childhood Education

Some 64 representatives from 20 European countries gathered 9-10 November 1998 in Copenhagen (Denmark) for a regional round table on Early Childhood Education organised by EIE. The programme focused on three main themes: (I) Why is Early Childhood Education good for children, parents and societies? – an overview of present trends, developments and research, (II) Present trends and developments within Early Childhood Education in Europe – based on reports from member organisations, (III) EIE’s work in the field of Early Childhood Education: collecting information, resolution on Early Childhood Education and further work. Following presentations by a panel of experts, the themes were the subject of group work. The Round Table then summarized the discussions in a 14-point resolution for presentation to the EI European Committee along with a detailed report and proposals for future activities. Among other ideas, the participants emphasised the right to Early Childhood Education, its important role, the need for increased provision and expanded availability, for quality education, sufficient pedagogical resources, small groups, competent and qualified teachers, and accessible publicly funded establishments.

Vocational Education and Training

Member organisations from 20 European countries took part in the EI Europe Round Table on Vocational Education and Employment for Young People 5-7 June 1998 in Prague (Czech Republic). Several proposals were put forward following a panel with guest speakers (two students, an employer and a trade unionist) and workshops on three main themes attended by some 60 participants. At the World level, it should be noted that UNESCO will hold its Second International Conference on Technical and Vocational Education 26-30 April 1999 in Seoul (Korea).

Adult Education

A Round Table on Adult Education in the European Region will be held on 16-17 April 1999. A working group met twice to prepare this event (aims, program, venue) for presentation to the 7 December EI Europe Regional Committee in Brussels. More news later.

Higher Education and Research

The EI Europe Standing Committee on Higher Education and Research met 29-30 September 1998 in Luxembourg. Some 20 participants were present. The agenda included a review of developments at the world level, financing, casualisation, mobility and qualifications, a data base on remuneration and working conditions, European programs such as SOCRATES, LEONARDUS, TEMPUS, and ETUCE’s activities, plus many more important issues. Tentative date for the next meeting: 15-16 March 1999.

Equal Opportunities

Ageism, pensions in the education sector, employment and casualisation, single sex schools, part-time work, and parental leave were some of the topics presented by various resources and, in some cases, discussed in smaller groups during the Equal Opportunities Standing Committee meeting 22-23 October in Brussels. The 25 European participants also planned their work for the next two years which should include other issues such as social exclusion in Europe, equal opportunities in Eastern and Central Europe and violence in the workplace. Next meeting: 17-18 May 1999.
 
 
 

Tragic situation in Russia – Teacher dies following hunger strike  The Russian government now owes public service employees 88.1 billion rubles (US$5.16 billion!). On 5 October 1998 (World Teachers’ Day), 80,000 teachers and parents picketed local authority buildings across Russia. Two days later, 17 million public service workers struck for one day. In Moscow, 50,000 protesters marched, including teachers and lecturers. “Education was always a priority here; now it is not. It is in danger of being ruined” declared a participant to UK colleagues. EI was represented at a teachers’ demonstration in front of the Parliament. Our affiliate’s bank account was frozen and US$60,000 were raised urgently from EI membership to support the operations of the 3.5 million member organisation ESEUR. According to press agencies, 27,000 Russian teachers had stopped work in November to protest against the non-payment of their salaries (US$23. a month) since July.  A teacher, Alexander Motorin, 43 and father of two children, died December 1, 1998, following a hunger strike he undertook mid November with 450 colleagues from ten schools and colleges in Oulyanovsk, Lenin’s birthplace, 800km east of Moscow. Sources reported several teachers had been hospitalised or had needed medical help, and 320 who were still maintaining the hunger strike in their classrooms at the time of their colleague’s death called off the protest “because children have to be taught”. Many messages of condolence (including one from EI) were sent to the Russian community devastated by this tragedy.

Latin America

Hurricane Mitch Appeal: Helping Central American Teachers

EI made an appeal for assistance to affiliates in Nicaragua, Honduras and other countries of Central America following Hurricane Mitch. In Nicaragua alone, 335 schools were destroyed, 6 teachers were killed and 555 badly affected. A first contribution of US$15,000 from the Solidarity Fund has been forwarded to our regional office. The aid will be distributed with the advice of our member organisations and will serve humanitarian goals only, such as food and material for homeless teachers. Donations can be sent to: Banque Bruxelles Lambert, 157 bd Anspach, 1000 Brussels (Belgium). A/C No 310-100-6170-75 with the mention “Hurricane Mitch Appeal”. Lärarförbundet (Sweden) saved US$6,250 by not sending Christmas cards this year (at both national and international levels) and allocated the money (plus an additional amount of US$10,000) to the EI Solidarity Fund. So on behalf of our Swedish colleagues, GOTT NYTT ÅR! to each of you. 

EDUCATION

UNESCO Conference on Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century: Vision and Action

An unprecedented number of participants attended the World Conference on Higher Education 5-9 October 1998 at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris (France): 115 education and higher education ministers, 200 accredited journalists, several heads of states, hundreds of teachers, professors, lecturers, policy-makers, parliamentarians, experts, NGO representatives, students, business leaders, exhibitors, etc, a total of nearly 4,200 persons (2,500 were expected) according to official statistics.

The Education International secretariat supported the participation of some 40 representatives from member organisations with planned meetings and impromptu caucuses, circulation of information and documentation, a meeting point and message board at the EI exhibition stand for participants, not to mention a convivial ‘farewell’ dinner. A working group met to start planning the EI Higher Education Conference scheduled next Autumn in Ireland. The UNESCO Education sector and EI joined forces to underscore World Teachers’ Day on 5 October through presentations of videos in the concourse halls, contacts with the media in the Press Room, and dissemination of a wide range of publications -including the EI Barometer- at EI’s stand which drew many visitors from around the world.

In her address to the Conference Plenary, EI President Mary Hatwood Futrell stressed that it is critical for colleges and universities to assure that high quality research and development define the foundations for improving teaching and learning. “In addition, she said, I would call upon all of us to establish as a priority on our research agenda the development of strategies to help developing countries enhance the quality of and expand access to higher education within their countries and abroad.” The EI leader’s second point had to do with enhancing opportunities for women and other disenfranchised groups to have greater access to higher education: “Guaranteeing greater access to higher education for all guarantees our future. Not to do so is to reject the potential of a nation’s future, a loss few nations can continue to afford”. Distance education is one way to make sure that educational opportunities exist for people wherever they may live, Mary Futrell suggested.

Finally, the EI President reminded the Ministers and Heads of Delegation that assuring access to higher education is predicated first and foremost on assuring access to quality primary and secondary education. “Conversely, she also pointed out, the quality of primary and secondary education is contingent upon the quality of education acquired by teachers, counselors, school administrators, and other educational employees who are critical players in the daily lives of our children”. Mary Futrell encouraged UNESCO Member States to adhere to the terms of the Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel adopted by the Organisation in November 1997.

This Conference, like the Recommendation (available at http://www.ei-ie.org ), represents a step in the right direction, but the follow-up will be crucial to ensure that the Vision materializes into positive Action, as the theme of the conference suggested. For more information about the World Declaration and the Framework for Priority Action adopted unanimously by the Conference, read page 7 in the December issue of the EI Magazine. 

INTERNATIONAL

EI attends International Conference of NGOs maintaining official relations with UNESCO

Some 250 delegates from non-governmental organisations maintaining official relations with the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO) met for the International Conference of NGOs 16 to 19 November 1998 in Paris (France). Speaking on behalf of Director-General Federico Mayor, Assistant Director-General for Education Colin N. Power hailed the accomplishments of the NGOs and their Liaison Committee, adding: “There will be more than ever be a need for the international community to have in its midst a constituency that seeks to build peace through cooperation in education, science and culture [...] you, UNESCO’s official NGO partners, are an essential part of that constituency. Without your expertise in terms of programming, and without your capacity for networking and for helping UNESCO in implementing its programme and disseminating its message, the Organisation would be a mere shadow of its potential.”

Following a fresh start with the 1997 Extraordinary Conference (see Monitor Vol 5 No 3), the NGOs played an active role in UNESCO’s consultations, bodies, and major international conferences on education. This year’s programme of the now triennial NGO Conference featured panels and workshops on topics such as science and ethics, poverty, and the 50th anniversary of the UDHR. The participants adopted several resolutions reaffirming their commitment to human rights and to the promotion of the culture of peace. After serving one year as General Secretary of the interim Liaison Committee, EI Coordinator Monique Fouilhoux was elected to the Presidency for a three-year mandate. Education International is one of the 16 organisations worldwide holding the coveted status of NGO in formal associate relations with UNESCO. Our congratulations and best wishes to our colleague Monique and her team. 

BITS AND BYTES

Beginning January 1999, 1,000,000 students will travel around the world – via Internet.
To find out more about this educational odyssey on-line (in English) through 10 major non-Western sites, take five minutes to visit http://www.worldtrek.org

EI was given the Labour Website of the Week award by the London based Labour and Society International which reports daily on Internet (in English only) on trade union issues, such as recent teachers’ struggles in Chile, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, Russia, etc. Bookmark their address: http://www.labourstart.org

Preparations are underway at the international level for the World March of Women 2000 -see the resolution adopted overwhelmingly by member organisations last July in Congress Highlights p. 141. EI affiliates will soon receive more information enabling them to start organising locally as they celebrate International Women’ Day on 8 March 1999. More details in English, French and Spanish at http://www.ffq.qc.ca

Education International was invited to speak on teachers’ rights and responsibilities at a week-long seminar on teachers’ work organised 23-27 November 1998 in Madrid (Spain) by Fundación Santillana. ????The XVth World Congress on Occupational Safety and Health will take place 12-19 April 1999 in Sao Paulo (Brazil). More information at http://www.aiss.org or by fax at: +55 11 30 66 63 51. 

IN BRIEF

Through Urgent Action Appeals sent to member organisations (and posted on Internet), affiliates have been asked to keep the pressure on the Government of Ethiopia by writing to His Excellency Meles Zenawy, Prime Minister (P.O. Box 1031, in Addis Ababa). Three ETA officials were arrested and jailed 17 September to 15 October without formal charges yet laid against them. Our affiliate’s offices (sealed by the authorities) were ransacked by people from the government-backed union who went through papers and removed documents. Let the Ethiopian government know this continued harassment and persecution of the ETA (and of its imprisoned leader Dr Taye Woldesmiate) must stop. Consult the regularly updated ACTION section on our website: http://www.ei-ie.org

The International Bureau of Education (IBE) recently published an new study on the impact of school violence on teaching and learning in eight countries: Jordan, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Israel, Slovakia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru. For more information about Violence at School: Global Issues and Interventions, contact the IBE website at: http://www.unicc.org/ibe or IBE Publications, P.O, Box 199, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the UDHR, the UNESCO Section for Humanistic, Cultural and International Education released a Civics Education Kit packed with material embracing peace, human rights, democracy and international understanding. The UNESCO/EI publication Tolerance in Films is included in the attractive case.

For the fifth edition of its thematic calendar sent yearly in lieu of greeting cards, Education International chose The teaching staff at work – an homage through philately as the theme for 1999. The captions recall slogans and titles from previous World Teachers’ Day material, while the imagery intends to promote the issuing -by countries of the world- of commemorative stamps to highlight educators and WTD, an EI campaign supported by UNESCO (see Monitor Vol 5 No 3). The postage stamps were provided by our President and by the UNESCO Philatelic Programme. Why not contact your government and postal authority now with a formal request to include such a series of stamps in their philatelic program for the coming years?

EI marked the 10th of December with the publication of a brochure entitled Women and Human Rights. This publication (to be used in the trade union training of women) analyses the main international instruments from the perspective of those rights which guarantee equality to women. A copy will be included in the forthcoming mailing for International Women’s Day 

PUBLICATIONS

The State of the World’s Children 1999: Education, a force for social change

The right to education, the education revolution, and investment in human rights are some of the themes developed in the latest annual edition of UNICEF’s The State of the World’s Children. Nearly a billion people will enter the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their name. “When the right to education is assured, the whole world gains”, writes UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the foreword of the indispensable United Nations Children’s Fund publication. The 1999 report demonstrates that education is the foundation of a free and fulfilled life and asserts that it is “a force for social change, the single most vital element in combating poverty, in empowering women, safeguarding children from exploitative and hazardous labour and sexual exploitation, promoting human rights and democracy, protecting the environment and controlling population growth. And a path towards international peace and security.” No wonder that UNESCO and EI view teaching as ‘the world’s most important job”...

The State of the World’s Children 1999. UNICEF, New York, 1998. 131 pages. ISBN: 92-806-3389-9. Price: $12.95 in USA, £7.95 in UK. Also available in French and Spanish. See: http://www.unicef.org
 

Taxi drivers, health care workers, teachers among those at highest risk on the job

France, Argentina, Romania, Canada and England have reported the highest rates of assaults and sexual harassment on the job, said the International Labour Office (ILO) in a most extensive survey on violence in the workplace published last July. In the United States, some 1,000 killings take place in job settings every year according to the 156-page report. Homicide has become the leading cause of death on the job for American women, and the second leading cause for men. The total cost of violence to US employers amounted to more than $4 billions in 1992. Globally, some workplaces and occupations (such as teaching) are at higher risk than others of experiencing violence notes the ILO.
The report proposes a multi-faceted response: preventive, targeted, multiple, immediate,
participatory, and long-term response to cope with the consequences. More information at http://www.ilo.org

Violence at work by Duncan Chappell and Vittorio Di Martino. ILO, Geneva, 1998. (In English only).
ISBN 92-2-110335-8. Price: 25 Swiss francs.
 

When Schools Fail...

What can be done to make schools more efficient? What can decision-makers, communities and schools do to enrol all children and enable them to complete at least the entire primary cycle? Wasted Opportunities: When Schools Fail – Repetition and drop-out in primary schools, the fourth report in the series Education for All: Status and Trends, highlights - with the use of graphics - the present situation of school wastage and reveals its enormous costs on educational systems, individuals and societies in 131 developing countries.

UNESCO, 1998, (ISSN 1020-0908). 50 p. Also available in French Occasions perdues: quand l’école faillit à sa mission. Available at http://www.education.unesco.org/efa and from UNESCO EFA in Paris.
 

The future of public pension funds

Criticism of public pensions systems is currently fashionable. But is it accurate? Older and Wiser looks at a broad range of issues critical to the worldwide debate about national pension systems, including how to determine their economic costs, their impact on savings and growth, and the complexities of shifting from public to privately financed systems.

Older & Wiser: The Economics of Public Pensions by Lawrence Thompson. Urban Institute Press, Spring 1998, 175 pages, English only. ISBN 0-87766-679-2. Price: US$23.95, Hardcover: US$59.50 http://www.urban.org
 
 

Learning about Child Labour: new ILO/IPEC Information Kit for Teachers  The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC/ILO) has launched an interregional project “Mobilizing Teachers, Educators and their Organizations to Combat Child Labour” developed in close cooperation with EI, UNESCO, UNICEF as well as national educational specialists from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The attractive new Information Kit for Teachers, Educators and their Organisations prepared for this campaign was on display at our July Congress in Washington D.C. The second phase of this project which started in Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Nepal, Paraguay, the Philippines, Peru and Tanzania is being implemented by IPEC with funding from the government of Norway. For further information from IPEC, fax: +41 22 799 8771 or E-mail: ipec@ilo.org

Social Security Worldwide on Internet and CD-ROM

The International Social Security Association (ISSA) recently released on CD-ROM the contents of its five databases covering: social security systems in over 170 countries; reforms in social protection since 1995; references to social legislation; a bibliography and a thesaurus of key social security terms in English, French, Spanish and German. Price (including six monthly update): US$400 or CHF600 for single user, US$800 or CHF1,200 for multi-users.  This information is also available by subscription on Internet (updated monthly) at a cost of US$700 or CHF1,000. More at: http://www.aiss.org
 

Other publications received

ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety.
Fourth Edition. French and Spanish version to be released in 1999. ILO, Geneva, 1998. Some 1000 collaborators from 60 countries. Available in print (4 volumes – 4,231 pages) and on CD-ROM. Price: US$ 495; Sw.Fr. 550; £ 297. http:// www.ilo.org

Education at a Glance
OECD Indicators 1998. OECD, Paris. 432 pages ISBN 92-64-16127-9 (96 98 04 1). http://www.oecd.org/els/stats/els_stat.htm Also available in French, German, Italian (and possibly in Spanish).
Price: FF295; US$49. DM88. Published with a companion study:

Education Policy Analysis 1998 Edition
84 pages, OECD, Paris. ISBN 92-64-16128-7 (96 98 05 1). Also available in French, German, Italian (and Spanish?). FF120; US$20; DM36. http://www.oecd.org

Measures taken in the Member States of the European Union to assist young people who have left the education system without qualifications
EURYDICE, December 1997. ISBN 2-87116-273-5. 89 p. Also available in English and German. http://www.eurydice.org

World Employment Report 1998-99 – Employability in the global economy. How training matters
ILO Geneva, 1998. ISBN 92-2-110827-9. Price 45 Swiss francs. Also in French: Rapport sur l’emploi dans le monde. More at http://www.ilo.org

Assessing Aid: What works, What doesn’t, and Why
World Bank, Washington D.C., 1998. ISBN 0-19-521123-5. Price US$30 + shipping and handling. Available in French: Évaluer l’aide – ses succès, ses échecs... les raisons http://www.worldbank.org

Redefining Tertiary Education
OECD, Paris, 1998, 160 p. ISBN 92-64-16055-8. In French: Redéfinir l’enseignement tertiaire. Price: FF150. http://www.oecd.org