Ei-iE

The world is facing an unprecedented health emergency. The COVID-19 outbreak has led to school closures in 13 countries around the globe, disrupting the education of 290.5 million students.

At least 20 civilians, including children and teachers, were killed in the Idlib region of Syria in airstrikes. Many more were wounded. The attack took place on 25 February and targeted eight school facilities.

As Haiti grapples with lawlessness and widespread violence, education unions warn of the terrible impact of the crisis on the country’s education system, with students, teachers and education workers in fear for their lives and schools closing down.

On 3 February, a stampede in the Kakamega Primary School in Kenya's western region left 14 students dead and 40 severely injured. Kenyan education unions have reacted angrily to the factors that led to the tragedy. The unions condemned the lack of implementation of existing safety standards, and addressed the...

Teachers’ representative organisations in Cameroon are united in demanding security in schools in a country “badly shaken by an unprecedented and wave of intolerable violence” at the beginning of the year.

At a recent meeting, the Committee of the Education International’s Arab Countries Cross Regional Structure reaffirmed their commitment to fight education privatisation and defend democracy in the region. Committee members reported on the challenges faced in their national settings, discussed recent union activities, and strategised for future action and campaigns.

In order to build a lasting peace in Colombia, a development cooperation programme between Canadian and Colombian teachers’ unions has helped to develop pedagogical circles and the programme of the Schools as Territories of Peace project.

With several teachers killed in Kenya since the beginning of the year, concerns over teacher security are increasing, pushing unions to demand government protection for education workers.

Education International commends the Australian Council of Trade Unions for its prompt reaction to help communities affected by the raging bushfires and its call for donation and/or volunteering.

Reacting to the release of Scholars at Risk’s annual report documenting and analysing attacks on higher education communities around the world, Education International firmly denounces attacks on academic freedom and reiterates the need to counter the lack of funds, precarious employment conditions and the privatisation and commercialisation of higher education.

On 25 November – the International Day for the Elimination of Gender-based Violence - we called on governments to immediately ratify ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work. The Convention is the result of 10 years of mobilisation and activism by the global trade union...

This UN Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, trade unions are calling on governments to act swiftly to ratify ILO Convention 190.

In Uganda, corporal punishment was declared unlawful in schools in March 2016 when the Children’s Act was amended and indeed since 2006, corporal punishment had been discouraged by Ministerial Guidelines. However, it remains a big challenge because in many schools, particularly in the remoter rural areas, it is a deeply...

Teaching is just like life: always full of surprises. Too often, however, these surprises give rise to frustration, disappointment and demotivation. But why, you might ask? It’s simple: education is one of society’s essential foundations and we all know that we must invest in it through well thought out and...

Strongest hurricane in recorded history, hottest summer, unprecedented mass bleaching of the coral reef… we have grown accustomed to deal in superlatives. Since 1970, the number of natural disasters worldwide has more than quadrupled to around 400 a year. Scientists have warned us about the extreme weather phenomena climate change...

Commemorating the start of World War II, German educators have reiterated their commitment to the initiative on disarmament and peace education recently adopted by Education International and its affiliates.

Following the release of the results of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), UK education unions welcome the hard work of students and all those who have supported them, including education professionals, and stress the impact of these tests on students’ well-being and the need for a broad curriculum.

As education trade unionists gather together for the 8th EI World Congress, it is clear that working people and students are on the front lines of climate change. Already 83 million climate-related refugees have fled from disaster. 72 million jobs are threatened. Climate change affects our brothers and sisters –...