Ei-iE

Representatives from Education International and its member organisations have stressed the links between quality education and open educational resources at the second Open Educational Resources conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

“Who owns knowledge?” was the question at the core of a seminar on copyright in education, the first of its kind to bring education unions and copyright experts together at EI’s headquarters in Brussels.

International attention is increasingly focusing on the issues created by restricted access to knowledge, an issue also highlighted by Education International at a recent higher education conference.

The World Intellectual Property Organization Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) is currently engaged in discussing, at an international level, limitations and exceptions to copyright, including for educational purposes.

Amanda Brown, the Assistant General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, has been elected onto the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation as part of the workers’ group.

Imagine if governments proposed a supreme tribunal for the world. The tribunal would have the power to review anything countries can do in their sovereign role. It could review countries’ laws and regulations at any level. It could review the judgments of their highest courts.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers has reaffirmed its commitment to lead the advocacy against commercialisation and privatisation of education in the country.

As the occasion to celebrate and reaffirm the value and values of trade unions, from which their principles continue to inspire, today must also serve as a lens to carefully examine our societies and institutions.

The interplay between crisis and private profit in the education sector is highlighted in a new study that focuses on the refugee crisis in Syria and the access to education of almost one million displaced children.

After the European Parliament voted in favour of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, educators will continue to fight this treaty that threatens to erode public education.

The CTERA, the trade union confederation and affiliate of Educational International in Argentina, raised its voice against the commodification and privatisation of education at the ‘Peoples’ Summit’, which took place in Buenos Aires.

1. The public good is served by the widest and most accessible dissemination of scholarly work and educational material. This can be facilitated when scholars and educators make their work available in reputable open access venues.

Education International, together with international institutions, is worried about the effects on public services, including education, and limitations to public policy space after the signature of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

With the possible signing of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement looming, the Education, Science, and Culture Trade Union of Slovenia has warned the national parliamentarians of the negative impact of this agreement.

Education International (EI) and the European Students' Union (ESU) urge governments in Europe, the United States, and beyond, to explicitly carve out education from global trade agreements such as the TTIP, the Trade in Services Agreement and the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

As unions and civil society take a moment to mark Public Services Day the the on-going global campaign against international trade agreements that undermine the provision of public services everywhere continues to gain traction.

With the Trade in Services negotiations accelerating, teachers’ unions are urging their governments to demand a democratic negotiation process and the carving out of education and other public services from the agreement.

Whether in Germany or Belgium, education unionists have clearly reaffirmed their opposition to the possible serious impacts to the education sector and other public services through its inclusion in new trade and investment agreements.