Ei-iE

After the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut, Education International has expressed solidarity with the Lebanese capital’s inhabitants, including educators and students.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in a convention held virtually, organised a series of discussions and adopted resolutions on education, trade union and policy issues. The convention endorsed Joe Biden for President by a vote of more than 90 per cent of delegates after an unprecedented, extensive membership consultation...

The Education International Africa Region has adopted indicators for reopening of schools and other educational institutions and circulated them to member and partner organisations.

indicators

Leading trade unionist and president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions Rong Chhun was arrested on 31 July after voicing criticism of the government. Education International has protested the arrest in a letter to the Prime Minister of Cambodia, calling for the immediate release of Mr Chhun and for human...

The National Union of Education Workers (SNTE) has presented a 10-point programme on the safe re-opening of schools to the Ministry of Public Education. The union is proposing a “hybrid” launch of the school year with a mix of distance learning and in-person education.

GEMS Metropole School threatened parents with withholding students’ report cards and transfer slips unless school fees were paid. Education International and the Global Campaign for education call on the United Arab Emirates to not tolerate extortionary manoeuvres against children in private schools.

Jordanian security forces arrested leading members of the Jordanian Teachers’ Association, raided the union’s offices and shut it down for a period of two years. The global education community is outraged by this unlawful attack on our colleagues.

COVID19

In Nepal, an education union has highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to new challenges. These include non-payment of teacher salaries by some private school employers, the psychological impact of the lockdown on students, and the challenges of online teaching.

An Education International affiliate representing elementary school teachers in India has called on the government to fundamentally shift its approach to education. The union voiced its concern over growing inequality stemming from distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education International strongly supports its Filipino affiliate in its struggle to see educators’ human and trade union rights respected. It condemns the use of harassment methods and anti-terrorism legislation to eliminate critical legal protections.

EI’s Mexican member SNTE presented the Los Pinos Declaration at a virtual seminar on 15 July. It is the final document of the event that closes the International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019, held on 27-28 February 2020 in Mexico City.

The Australian Education Union has published a report showing a significant digital gap during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of digital inclusion for public school students.

The Portuguese education union, Federaçao Nacional dos Professores, is concerned about teacher professional issues, inequities, lack of social dialogue, and assessment of teachers.

In an interview with EI, Christina Colclough, future of work expert, discussed teacher adaptation to digitalisation, life-long learning, the digital divide, the relationship between virtual and physical learning, data, and related issues. She stressed that the use and abuse of data was a danger to worker and human rights.

Education union leaders and educators have paid tribute to the late Emanuel A Fatoma. Fatoma’s sudden passing on 6 July came as a shock to many of us and to his former colleagues and friends from Africa and around the world.

The number of violations of human rights is rising in Iraq since the beginning of the widespread protests of late 2019 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kurdistan Teachers’ union has denounced the fact that the Iraqi authorities, including in the Kurdistan region, routinely use vaguely worded laws to bring...