Executive Board
S. ESWARAN (Boardmember)
 S. ESWARAN |
S. ESWARAN is currently a member of the EI Executive Board.
Born in 1938, Eswaran started his teaching career in 1955 after obtaining his Secondary School Leaving Certificate. He became headmaster first of his primary school, then of a middle school. For 41 years, Eswaran dedicated himself to the education of primary and secondary school children.
The history of Eswaran's involvement in union activism spans more than 44 years at both state and national levels. He first worked as Block Secretary for his union, the All India Primary Teachers Federation (AIPTF), in the state of Tamil Nadu in 1961. In 1974, Eswaran became the General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu branch of the AIPTF, a position which he held for the next 21 years. During the same period, he was a member of the AIPTF Executive Board. He was then elected as its Senior Vice President, and later as its President. In 1997, 1999 and 2002, Eswaran won elections as AIPTF Secretary General. Under his leadership, the AIPTF membership has grown to more than 2.3 million primary school teachers in the whole of India.
As the National Co-ordinator of the AIPTF, Eswaran participated actively in development co-operation activities with teacher unions from all over the world. Due to his vast experience as a teacher, he was appointed as a member of the Government Examination Board as well as other governmental committees on education.
As a union leader, Eswaran strives hard for the achievement of quality education for all, the empowerment of women, the eradication of child labour and the improvement of the social and economic status of teachers. Eswaran has also represented EI at the global level on several occasions, such as at the ILO Workers' Group on the ILO Life-Long Learning Programme and various committees dedicated to the achievement of Education For All at UNESCO, Oxfam, the Global Campaign for Education and the Global March Against Child Labour.
This is currently Eswaran's third term as a member of EI's Executive Board.