Ei-iE

The American Federation of Teachers has launched a blueprint providing guidance for safely and responsibly reopening school buildings and other institutions and imagining a ‘new normal’ for public education, public health, and the economy in the age of COVID-19.

The statement adopted by the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee cites the divergent approaches of governments to the impact of COVID-19 on health, workers, and the economy. It also stresses the lack of consultation of education unions, with rare exceptions, on questions related to the pandemic in the region.

The Education International Africa Regional Committee, in a virtual meeting held on 20 April 2020, adopted a statement that focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in the region and urged governments to consult teachers and education support personnel (ESP) through their representative organisations to ensure that...

While all educational facilities in Romania are closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federation of Free Unions in Education is ensuring that the current school year can be concluded under the best possible educational and health conditions and the return to school in September can be carried out in...

Despite continuing their work online, teachers in private schools in Jordan are not being paid their full salaries. Most of the teachers affected are women. Education International urges the Jordanian government to guarantee the fundamental rights of teachers and education workers and update national legislation to prohibit gender discrimination at...

While acknowledging that teachers had already been offered training to help them develop the skills needed to deliver online classes before the COVID-19 crisis had begun, educators should be better trained in the area according to an education trade union in Cameroon. Authorities should ensure that teachers are well-equipped to...

Members of Senegal’s teaching unions fear the rapid aggravation of the coronavirus crisis in their country and are taking action to ensure teacher and pupil safety, as well as educational continuity.

Although they believe the XGEST platform distance learning initiative launched by the Ministry of Education is worth trying out during the COVID-19 initiative, teachers, through their representative organisation, the Syndicat de l'Éducation Nationale say that they have strong reservations as to whether all students can access it. They therefore insist...

Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, the South African Democratic Teachers' Union is doing its utmost to reach out to union members, ensure teachers’ and students’ safety from the virus, and improve access to remote teaching and learning.

Nineteen people were killed in a shooting rampage in Nova Scotia, a maritime province in Eastern Canada. Along with its member organisation, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, Education International mourns the many lives lost in a shooting rampage in Nova Scotia, including a teacher and the wife of another teacher.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, education unionists in Poland are calling for increased funding for education and broad access to remote teaching and learning so that education can continue, and the health of educators and their students can be safeguarded.

In response to the Peruvian government's ruling on labour issues, which allows private companies to regulate employment in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, trade unions have launched a campaign to demand the repeal of Emergency Decree 038-2020, which authorises the complete suspension of work, effectively undermining collective bargaining.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Kurdistan Teachers’ Union has been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of school communities, secure financial support for educators and continued education for students.

A German education union has voiced its concern at proposals to reopen schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Issues to safeguard educator and student health include addressing how social distancing will operate in classrooms, the wearing of face masks, and infection prevention in facilities and public transport.

Two education unions in Kenya have called for a complete lockdown of the country to ensure the safety of educators and students. The proposal is just one of those submitted by the unions for the effective and successful management of the health, education, and economic crisis caused by the spread...

An education union in Liberia has donated valuable equipment to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Education Union in the United Kingdom has launched a website specifically addressing issues linked to the COVID-19 pandemic that parents and guardians of students may have.

Although the Beninese public authorities have declared the closure of the country’s schools, pupils and teachers must nevertheless resume classes on 14 April. The public authorities have also taken the decision to recruit teaching staff through interim agencies, to which education unions strongly oppose.