The EI Executive Board March 1999 meeting
A general framework for UNESCO/EI cooperation
Regions
Development Cooperation
Education
Trade Union Rights
Publications

The first meeting of the 1998-2001 Executive Board since the Second World Congress in Washington D.C. was scheduled for 25-27 March 1999 in Brussels. The agenda included the General Secretary’s Progress Report and the implementation of the 1999-2001 Working Program;  a follow-up of the Second World Congress and preparation of the next one (to take place in Asia); future strategies (membership, regional issues, programming); a review of structures, policy and practice of EI, and reports from various committees (Status of Women, Finance). The Status of Women Committee -now composed of women from the Executive Board-, the EI Officers and the Finance Committee will hold meetings before the Thirteenth Executive Board session. A calendar of EI meetings for 1999-2001 should be adopted.
 

A general framework for UNESCO/EI cooperation

A new Memorandum of Understanding envisaged for 1999-2001

Education International and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) intend to sign a Memorandum of Understanding concerning cooperation on educational issues for the period 1999-2001, along the lines of the previous accord implemented in 1994.

The new agreement would cover joint work on major dossiers such as lifelong learning; Education for All (EFA); education reform; monitoring of the international economic situation and the role of the financial institutions; follow-up on the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers and the UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel; Higher Education; World Teachers’ Day; education for human rights and the culture of peace; the status of women; education of indigenous people.

The provisions would also cover operational cooperation between the Headquarters of each organisation as well as at regional and national level, dissemination of publications and information on each other’s activities, discussions on the development of interactive information for teachers through Internet, invitations to meetings, cooperation in the preparation of the International Conference on Education (ICE), etc.

In keeping with the central importance of life-long learning as outlined in the report of the UNESCO International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, the activities indicated in each of the areas of cooperation would be pursued at all levels of education: early childhood, primary, secondary, vocational, technical, adult and higher education.

The Memorandum would constitute a general framework for cooperation. More specific programs and activities, including agreements for funding, will be formulated separately. Monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Memorandum will be ensured by regular contacts and consultations between the two organisations.

In the preamble, UNESCO and EI recall the objectives set forth in their respective constitutions and, in particular, their shared objectives to develop education throughout the world and to promote peace, understanding and respect for human rights through education; they also note the importance of strengthening cooperation and partnership between intergovernmental organizations such as UNESCO and organizations representing constituencies of civil society.

The proposed agreement acknowledges the key role undertaken in education and in their societies by teachers and other education personnel, and recognizes EI as an important source of expertise, representative of teachers and other education personnel throughout the world. 

REGIONS
 

Africa

Leadership Training Program starts in Africa

Three week-long seminars for leaders of EI unions in Africa were planned for 1999 with the cooperation of the ILO, the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation, UNESCO and the World Bank. The operation aims to provide adequate basic economic information, to discuss key education reforms to be undertaken and to consider the conditions for a fruitful dialogue between all those involved in the elaboration, implemen-tation and evaluation of these reforms. The first seminar of the two-year project took place in Mauritius on 15-19 February 1999 with some 40 participants from English-speaking countries in the Southern Africa/Indian Ocean area. Other sub-regional sessions will follow this year for the Maghreb and for Francophone West Africa. The topics presented by various resource persons covered: structural reforms; the role of the private and public sectors; the challenge of globalisation; sustainable development; Education for All; negotiations and consultations; the concept of partnership; the image of public education; relations with the media. The agenda included working groups, question and answer sessions, role-playing exercises on negotiation techniques and the preparation of national strategies for reform.

Also on the continent, a first African seminar on School Health and HIV/STDs Prevention will be held in Lomé (Togo) 12-15 April 1999, for teacher unions from francophone countries of West Africa. Other such subregional meetings will be organised in the coming months, as they were in Latin America (1996), Asia/Pacific (1997) and Central & Eastern Europe (1997), as a follow-up to the 1995 EI Global Health Conference in Harare (Zimbabwe).
 

Structural Adjustment, education reforms and union strategies: Ghana as a case study

The findings of a desk/field study on the effects of structural adjustment on the education sector in Africa (with Ghana as case study) were presented to EI affiliates GNAT and TEWU at a seminar in Sunyani (Ghana) on 8-10 December 1998. The EI project initiated in 1996 with the financial support of Läraförbundet (Sweden) aimed at collecting in-depth information on the effects of IMF and World Bank policies at national level, formulating alternative strategies for teachers’ unions, and increasing the awareness of the questions related to structural adjustment among affiliates through educational activities. The operation should lead to a constructive dialogue with the World Bank at national level. A final report summing up the information and impressions collected in Ghana will be completed shortly. The conclusions of this pilot project, already presented and discussed in various seminars, will be a most useful resource to many of our members in their talks with governments and intergovernmental agencies.
 

Agreement reached following a one-month strike by 18,000 Niger teachers

A strike called by EI’s affiliate SNEN (Syndicat national des enseignants du Niger) on 4 January 1999  ended on 5 February with a negotiated agreement. 18,000 Nigerian pre-school, primary and secondary teachers had protested against pay arrears, arbitrary transfers of personnel, non-payment of allowances, the witholding of trade union check-off fees and the introduction of a new regulation that makes retirement obligatory after 30 years of service. With a foreign debt of about US$1.15 billion and an internal debt estimated at US$368 million, Niger has severe financial problems, and civil service streamlining is part of the West African country’s structural adjustment programme initiated in 1996. The teaching staff represents 40 % of the nation’s public servants and 804 teachers would be obliged to retire in October with pensions falling well short of salaries. On 7 January a peaceful march in Nyamey, the capital, was brutally interrupted by police forces and a dozen teachers were seriously wounded by the police, reported a SNEN official. Check EI’s website for the latest news.
 

Update on the Ethiopian Teachers’ Association

Dr Taye Woldesmiate’s case came back to Court on 15 January 1999 and was adjourned until 18 February. The rival government-sponsored ETA organisation is continuing to pursue a Court action to deprive EI’s affiliate of all remaining property and other assets. The EI Solidarity Fund is assisting with legal cost to defend the case. During a mission to Ethiopia on 24-29 October 1998 which included meetings with the Minister of Education, diplomatic missions and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the rival union was told that EI recognized union pluralism, but did not support connivance with the government to remove a competing organisation. EI has submitted a further report to the ILO Freedom of Association Committee and expects at least an initial reaction from the March meeting of the ILO Committee. According to EI’s Trade Union and Human Rights Coordinator, there is some evidence that the international community is beginning to acknowledge the injustice and repression inherent in the Government’s treatment of the ETA, but pressure must be maintained until the release of our colleague.
 

Asia-Pacific

A decade of struggle by CHUNKYOJO ends with a victory for Korean teachers

“We really, really, appreciate deeply for the warmest support from the EI Secretariat and EI affiliates and also the strong solidarity shown by working brothers and sisters all over the world.” These words from CHUNKYOJO President Kim, Kwi-Sik and Vice-President Lee, Dong-Jin followed the adoption by the Korean government, on 6 January 1999, of legislation legalising teachers’ unions. This victory came a decade after the creation of EI affiliate CHUNKYOJO – the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers’ Unions (KTU) in May 1989, - 10 years of struggle during which more than 1500 KTU members were discharged, hundreds were persecuted, arrested, and imprisoned, while 13 members passed away during their dismissals. “Actually [this victory] was the result of blood, sweat and tears of CHUNKYOJO grass-root members who never stopped struggling with the support of the whole democratic community in Korea” added the trade unionists. EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen thanked our colleagues for their courage and determination, and congratulated them “for their historic victory for trade unionism”.

The ‘Act on Teachers’ Unionization and Management’ taking effect on 1st July 1999 recognises the right of teachers to organise and to bargain collectively. The new law will end 10 years of illegal existence for CHUNKYOJO and allow education unions to discuss issues relating to the social and economic status of teachers such as wages, work conditions and welfare. However, matters regulated by laws, ordinances and the budget are not subject to collective bargaining under the new legislation. Strikes and sabotage are banned, on the grounds that students’ right to learn should be protected. Arbitration will be authorised in case of a member’s dismissal or unfair labour practices. CHUNKYOJO (KTU) represents 15,000 Korean workers in education.
 

Please note: That the EI Regional Office for Asia-Pacific has moved to: No 25, 2nd Floor, Jalan Telawi Dua, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Telephone, fax and E-mail remain unchanged.

Europe

Eastern and Central Europe EI affiliates attend a Round Table on Education

“Financing, quality of education systems and recognition of diplomas in the perspective of an integrated Europe” were the topics discussed by a record 80 participants from more than 20 countries, mostly in Eastern and Central Europe, on 2-4 December 1998 in Krakow (Poland). Alternating experts’ panels, working groups (in English, French, Polish or Russian) and plenaries, the Krakow conference covered issues mentioned in the theme and others such as education for the 21st century; fiscal policies; school vouchers in the USA; financing of education in the UK; teacher evaluation; relationships with the private sector, particularly in higher education.

The conclusions of the three-day meeting chaired by EI Vice-president Charlie Lennon were recorded in a Declaration available on EI’s Internet site or on request from the Secretariat. The text stresses (among other points): the need for countries to invest at least 6% of GNP in education; the role of public education as sole provider of a sound foundation for lifelong learning; the possibilities of introducing a taxation on financial speculative transactions; the importance for teachers of more in-depth discussions of the most crucial issues. Several affiliates met before the conference to evaluate possible development cooperation projects. Originally planned for September in Moscow, the event was postponed because of the crisis in Russia. Previous EI Education Round Tables for countries in transition were held in Bucharest, Romania (1994), Sofia, Bulgaria (1996) and Budapest, Hungary (1997). A Sub-regional Round Table for the Balkan countries was announced for 1-3 April 1999 in Sofia (Bulgaria).
 
 

Three-day strike by 380,000 Russian teachers as the situation deteriorates In another massive protest against non-payment of wages in several regions of the country, 8,300 educational establishments were closed on 27-29 January 1999 by some 380,000 striking members of the Education and Science Employees’ Union of Russia (ESEUR). In a press release, EI indicated its full support to the action initiated by its affiliate to obtain payment of arrears.  Despite a promise made by Prime Minister Primakov to reimburse the unpaid sums by 5 January, at the time of the work stoppage the government owed teachers amounts totalling US$665 millions for salaries and US$243 millions for pension funds and social security benefits. The situation is worse in some rural areas, where teachers have received no pay for 18 months, or were given (by local authorities) a monthly ‘advance’ of 100 rubles, barely enough to buy a kilo (2.2 lbs) of butter...“In normal times their salaries [about US$23 a month] are less than the minimum subsistence level, said ESEUR’s spokesman Nikolai Kolobashkin, so we are therefore demanding a change in legislation to have education funded differently.” In some of the largest cities such as Moscow, St-Petersburg and others where wages were ultimately paid before the strike, teachers expressed solidarity with their colleagues in different ways. The crisis also affects the maintenance of school buildings and the purchase of teaching materials, such as books, laboratory equipment or even chalk.  The teachers’ protest movement (so far consisting of demonstrations, work stoppages, hunger strikes, road and railway blockades, occupations and ‘hostage taking’) could further escalate as they become increasingly dissatisfied and desperate. Our Russian colleagues have been confronted with similar problems in 1995, 1997, and 1998 when 950,000 education workers staged country-wide strikes as reported in the previous issue of the Monitor. The ICFTU pressed the Russian government to respect  ILO Convention No 95 on the Protection of Wages which Russia ratified, and stressed that the World Bank and the IMF should pay more attention to the social situation. Some 20 million Russian workers  are affected by the non-payment of their salary.

Latin America

Report on Education International’s “Hurricane Mitch Appeal”

Some US$80.000 have been donated so far by EI member organisations following an appeal for assistance to teachers in Nicaragua, Honduras and other countries of Central America hit by Hurricane Mitch. The secretariat has already channelled US$55.000 through our regional office in Costa Rica (US$40.000 for Honduras and US$15.000 for Nicaragua). According to our Chief Regional Coordinator Napoleón Morazán, 5.000 teachers affected in Honduras alone, and thousands more in other countries, receive little or no support from international relief agencies which concentrate mostly on refugee centers. On behalf of our colleagues, many thanks to Lärarförbundet (Sweden), NEA (USA), Laereforbundet and Norsk Laererlag (Norway), NASUWT and SSTA (UK), INTO and TUI (Ireland), Manitoba Teachers’ Society (Canada), CMOS-PS (Czech Republic), SER (formerly SPR, Switzerland), Egitim-Sen (Turkey) and HKPTU (China SAR) for their contributions to this special EI humanitarian fund. Donations can still 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”.
 

Strong protest in Mexico against the imprisonment of five teacher unionists

In January more than 50,000 Mexican teachers took to the streets of the capital to demand the release of five of their colleagues arrested on 1st January 1999 and charged with mutiny, kidnapping, and robbery following a protest at the Senate lasting several hours. The accused were facing up to 50 years in jail if the charges against them were not dropped. According to Canadian sources, the five elementary school teachers have now been released from prison and two of the three charges have been dropped (illegal confinement and theft). Mexican observers say that, with elections coming in the year 2000, President Zedillo wants to minimize teachers’ challenges to his planned cuts to public education and social programs in Mexico. The arrests also send an unequivocal message that opposition to the government’s agenda will be met with severe penalties.

Sources: CTF and  BCTF (Canada) 

DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

EI Development Cooperation meeting assesses Policies, Programs and Practices

As illustrated by the Dossier in the December 1998 issue of Education International Magazine, development cooperation is a complex matter involving several EI affiliates and partners in a broad spectrum of activities and countries. Some 20 participants from cooperating member organisations, EI’s regional offices and headquarters met on 16-17 December 1998 in Brussels to address questions of policies and practices and to follow up on the 1998 Congress resolution. The motion, which was carried unanimously, established broad principles and furthermore called for actions and contributions from EI and its membership (see Highlights from the 2nd World Congress, p. 151).

In two days of lively discussions about development cooperation work, valuable experiences and comments were shared on goals, contents, selection of participants, needs of organisations and potential for implementation, the balance between local and external resource persons, programs, planning, guidelines, evaluation, and so on. In connection with guidelines to be prepared by EI, participants exchanged ideas on assistance to member organisations in emergency situations such as natural disasters. Relief is sometimes provided directly to affected countries by unions or through the EI Solidarity Fund, to which member organisations are invited to contribute according to their means on an annual basis (see EI Constitution Article 20 and By-laws Article 29).
 

• The first triennial sessions involving Education International Regional Committees, cooperating organisations and the EI Development Cooperation Department have been scheduled for 11-12 April 1999 in Latin America and September 1999 in Asia/Pacific, while the next annual consultation at world level should take place in Brussels in December 1999.

• Some 30 EI-affiliated unions from Western, Central & Eastern Europe and the United States met on 30 November to 1st December 1998 in Krakow (Poland) to share information about the transition countries and explore possible avenues of East-West cooperation. A review of the current situation and regional trends showed a severe and diversified picture. Teachers’ salaries for instance range from US$18 a month in Moldavia to US$400 in the Czech Republic. In Russia (monthly pay about US$23), thousands of teachers have received no salary for 18 months! (see p. 4). Contacts were established between participants at the meeting and development projects should be initiated in the near future.

EDUCATION

Educating for the Media and the Digital Age

Education International has been invited to the International Conference on Educating for the Media and the Digital Age, co-organised by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs and UNESCO, on 17-21 April 1999 in Vienna (Austria). The Conference will focus on the need for media education, present good practice of contents and methods, and perspectives for critical use of all media, both in the present and the future, with the active participation of young people. To enable the sharing of experiences from different people, cultures and countries, the 50 to 60 invited participants will come from all the regions of the world. Previous UNESCO events and documents on media education include the Gründwald Declaration on Media Education (1982) and the 1990 Colloquium New Directions in Media Education in Toulouse (France) reported in New Directions: Media Education Worldwide published -in English and French- in 1992 (see Monitor Vol 1 No 4).
 

• In January, Education International contacted Member States of the Universal Postal Union and UNESCO National Commissions to inform them about our campaign for the issuing of postage stamps to commemorate World Teachers’ Day. A few postal administrations have already indicated their intention to consider our request for their philatelic programs in 2000 or 2001. Contact your local authorities and ask that your country’s teachers be recognized for their contribution to education and development.

TRADE UNION RIGHTS

Goodbye tension, hello pension...?

There have been a number of changes involving pensions in recent years in many countries. The ICFTU and EI Europe (EIE) have both decided to conduct a survey of their members on this issue. EI’s questionnaire sent in November 1998 to European Union and EFTA countries covered the pension’s source (‘national’ or ‘occupational’), minimum age/years of service, factors influencing the size of the pension (length of service, salary), indexation, continuity of pension for dependants, transferability to other jobs, and percentage of the finishing salary. Some 27 organisations from 15 countries had submitted their answers to the EI secretariat by 22 January 1999. The presentation of the results was on the agenda of the EI European Committee meeting in mid February in Brussels. The EIE Equal Opportunities Standing Committee is also studying the broader question of ageism. Further details in future Monitors.

The ICFTU is also collecting information from its affiliates around the world on the percentage of the population covered, the sources of retirement provision, state-sponsored, “pay-as-you-go” programmes, privatised systems, supplementary pensions or savings schemes, trade union involvement in fund investment decisions, etc. A small task force has been set up to examine these issues. The focus will be on international trade union cooperation in the area of pension investment. The huge sums from pension funds invested in shares of various companies could give workers a say in the management of these firms and in the development of the economy.
 

ICFTU Campaign for Young People starts 16 April

The lack of interest of young people for trade unionism is a concern for the future of the labour movement. In some countries, only 5 to 10 percent of the work force is organised. Noting that few governments allow education about unions and workers’ rights at school, the ICFTU has decided to launch its own campaign (see forthcoming EI Magazine) to reach the young generation around the world. Many activities such as competitions, festivals, and meetings will be organised at international level and locally, beginning on 16 April 1999 with exchanges of E-mail messages between young trade unionists, journalists, schools and universities, through a temporary electronic chat box. More information from Marieke Koning, Tel: +32 2 224 0211, E-mail marieke.koning@icftu.org  and at http://www.icftu.org

PUBLIC@TIONS

Newspapers in adult education – a sourcebook

Produced jointly by the International Consultative Forum on Education for All (EFA) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), Newspapers in adult education gives ten successful examples from Argentina, Cameroon, Mali, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, South Africa and the United States on how newspapers can contribute to meeting the basic learning needs of adults. By using newspapers in their classes, educators can efficiently promote learning, critical thinking, creativity and resourcefulness in learners of all ages. In adult learning, they can also actively promote freedom of expression and democracy.
Full text and more information on EFA at http://www.education.unesco.org

Newspapers in adult education – a sourcebook. UNESCO, Paris, 1998. 27 pages, in English only for the time being. EFA Secretariat, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France: efa@unesco.org
 

CEDEFOP inaugurates its Electronic Training Village

CEDEFOP’s Electronic Training Village project was created with the vision of making it much easier to find information on vocational training in Europe and in each of the Member States. The attractive virtual village offers a variety of locations to visit: the Village Hall, Community Center, Conference Center, Village Bookshop, Newsagent’s, a Library with access to databases, even a Chat Pub to meet and talk about vocational education and training (VET), but no virtual beer is available yet... The village’s languages are English, French and German. An off-line edition on CD-ROM offers most of the contents of the new Internet site, which can be visited at http://www.trainingvillage.gr

More information from CEDEFOP – the European Center for the Development of Vocational Training, Marinou Antipa 12, 57001 Thessalonica, Greece and on the web at: http://www.cedefop.gr
 

OECD Economic Outlook now available on-line

The December 1998 edition of the OECD Economic Outlook analyses prospective economic developments in OECD countries over the coming two years and provides recommendations on the economic policies needed to ensure sustainable economic growth. The economies of China & Asia, Central & Eastern Europe and South America are also reviewed.

OECD Economic Outlook. OECD Paris, December 1998. 254 pages. ISBN 92-64-15958-4.
Annual subscription (2 issues): FF395; US$70: DM120; £42; ¥8,900. Also available in French Perspectives économiques de l’OCDE. Since June 1998, a new on-line service provides early access. More information about subscriptions at http://www.oecd.org/publications
 

Cultural Diversity featured in the forthcoming EI Magazine

A dossier on cultural diversity inspired by the presentations at the EI Conference, Democratic Societies: Living and Learning Together held in November 1997 (Bled, Slovenia), articles on Arab countries, privatisation, vouchers, education in Eastern & Central Europe, the Tobin Tax, OECD activities, globalisation and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), Young people and unions, the World March of Women in 2000, sustainable development: the next issue (Vol 5 No 1) of the Education International quarterly Magazine promises hours of informative reading. Don’t miss it!