No more lip service to global justice
Many teachers and students all over the world will be feverishly watching matches and cheering for their favourite teams during the Football World Cup. The game embodies many values that educators promote, such as fair play and respect for other cultures. The World Cup will also be a time when educators call on governments around the world to fulfil their 10-year-old promise to achieve Education For All.
As a founding member of the Global Campaign for Education, EI is proud that so many teachers took part in Global Action Week 2010. Tens of thousands of teachers, students and activists rallied for the 72 million children still missing out on an education. During this Football World Cup, we will continue our advocacy efforts through the 1GOAL campaign. After millions were spent saving reckless banks, many economies face ruin and education workers in countries around the world are being sacrificed in the name of economic recovery. EI and the Global Unions used May Day to advocate for a a new framework for recovery and social justice, which defends the rights of all workers, promotes sustainable development, values effective public services and commits to the goal of Education For All. EI will continue its advocacy work at the next G20 Summit in Canada for a fair Financial Transaction Tax. It is vital that every educator understands how decisions such as these have an impact on their daily lives. We need your support to protect the job of every teacher in every country because together, we can tell politicians to stop paying lip service to global justice. Fred van Leeuwen, EI General Secretary
