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The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has urged Malaysian public authorities to ensure the health and safety of educators delivering presential teaching to public examination students. This call comes after 11 teachers were infected with COVID-19 in the eastern state of Terengganu.

In a statement released today, the International Day of Education, Education International’s General Secretary David Edwards calls for urgent and decisive action to address all the inequities COVID-19 revealed and exacerbated and to ensure the right to free quality public education for all.

Education was already deteriorating in Kurdistan before the pandemic, according to the Kurdistan Teachers’ Union (KTU). It has called for increased investments in education.

While remote education has resumed in 2021, German education unions are calling on public authorities to support educators’ outstanding performance in ensuring access to quality education for all and well-organised and designed exams.

French education unions have called for a more robust and effective health policy as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. They are also seeking a recognition and improvement of educators’ working and living conditions.

The National Teachers’ Association (NTA) and the Taiwan Higher Education Union (THE Union) have accused private schools of appropriating publicly funded property as job insecurity among teachers in the sector increases.

As classes resumed across Mexico on 11 January, the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (SNTE) took the opportunity to reiterate that educators are crucial to maintaining a sound education process and quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes are being delivered remotely through the Learn at Home programme.

Education International is joining with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to express solidarity with Cambodian union leader Rong Chhun prior to his trial on 15 January.

Education International joins other global union federations and the International Trade Union Confederation in welcoming the release of Hong Kong’s top union leader from jail and condemning the continuous harassment of trade unionists, including in the education sector, by public forces.

The Taiwanese government is widening the social gap and encouraging the privatisation of the early childhood education (ECE) sector. That’s according to the National Teachers’ Association (NTA) in its yearly summary.

The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have reacted to the 6 January’s assault in Washington DC, where rioters encouraged by President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress to certify the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Education International’s German affiliates have backed the decision of the federal and state governments to extend the COVID-19 lockdown. Schools and day-care centres will remain closed, with some exceptions, until 31 January.

Education International is alarmed about ongoing violations of trade union freedoms and the rights and acquis of teachers in Morocco as reported by the Syndicat national de l'enseignement–Confédération démocratique du Travail (SNE-CDT).

Members of the Kurdistan Teachers’ Union (KTU) have participated in additional training to equip them with the knowledge and tools necessary for remote education. These skills have proven crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the training financially supported by Education International.

Education International’s Argentinian affiliates, together with their trade union centres, were part of a women’s cross-sectoral/political/social network, which actively campaigned for the national Parliament to adopt a law legalising abortion.

On 4 January, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a national lockdown in England. This lockdown imposes new national restrictions which include the closure of schools and colleges except for the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils, as well as an immediate move to remote education.

As in many countries during the pandemic, the Philippines shifted to distance learning modalities to enable education continuity. However, the remote learning programme met with problems of inadequate funding and issues of Internet connectivity and access to teaching and learning resources. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), one of Education...

Education International sends its best wishes to everyone from the global education community for this new year. With the COVID-19 pandemic still threatening lives, we will continue our struggle for a safe and healthy return to the classroom for teachers, education support personnel, and students. We will also do our...