25 years of Education International
January 2019
January 2019
My first memory of meeting with Education International was in October 1999 – when ActionAid, Oxfam and the Global March for Child Labour met in Brussels to set up the Global Campaign for Education. That was a landmark moment – forging links between EI’s campaign on quality public education, Oxfam’s...
#EI25: Reflections by David Archer, ActionAidI first heard about Education International in 1996. I had recently joined the staff at the World Bank, on a leave from Harvard University, to lead their education projects in Mexico, and I was invited by Maris O’Rourke, then director of the education group at the Bank, to meet a...
#EI25: reflections by Fernando M. Reimers, Harvard UniversityFew would argue that the world has changed in a significant manner over the last decade through a combination of geopolitics and communication technology. The rapid rate of change seems to have caught most people off-guard and as a result is struggling to keep pace. Very few analysists have been...
#EI25: "Making a difference in a different world", by Davanand Sinanan (TTUTA, Trinidad and Tobago)Education International (EI) is celebrating 25 years of existence; 25 years of advocacy for education and the teaching profession. A long journey peppered with successes, wins and persistent challenges. EI and its affiliated organisations have to contend with capital and capitalists more concerned with their own profits than with the...
#EI25: "Remaining a trade unionist and staying strong", by Marième Sakho Dansokho (SYPROS, Senegal)Sometimes what touches us at an international meeting isn’t what’s on the agenda. It’s what was outside on the street. Sometimes it’s the crushing courage of tiny, fragile grandmothers who would not be stopped and who serve as an example to all social justice activists of what we are called...
#EI25: “When Ordinary People Demand Justice”, by Lily Eskelsen GarcíaThere is an old French adage that says “les absents ont toujours tort,” which means that those who are absent are always in the wrong (or always get the blame). But what if they were right after all under certain circumstances? This seems to be the case in the field...
#EI25: "And if those who are absent were …. right, at times?", by Daniel B. LafrenièreYou might think that there is a great distance between the international trade union movement and your own union or country. But my experience as a member of the EI Executive Board has shown close links.
#EI25: “Education International and member unions: weaving fabric of justice”, by Masaki OkajimaWe should thank teachers for being educators but also for fighting to defend the rights of teachers and their students.
#EI25: “25 Years Defending the Right to Education”, by Dr. Patrick RoachThe leadership of Education International (EI) is applauded for demonstrating that education Unions are well placed to contribute to the elimination of child labour and promote quality education for all. It is important to look back and draw strength from these achievements as EI celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2018.
#EI25: “Experiences and gains in fighting child labour”, by Juliet Wajega (UNATU, Uganda)2018 is the 25th anniversary of the creation of Education International. As this anniversary year draws to a close, we are publishing an interview of Fred van Leeuwen who served the organization as General Secretary of EI for its first quarter century. This discussion offers a reflection on the substantial...
#EI25: “Trade unionism, the teaching profession, and democracy”, interview of EI General Secretary Emeritus Fred van LeeuwenThe Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has said that "One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world." She is right. Education changes lives, communities and the world. It is both a key to changes in society and individual freedom projects. I therefore stand shoulder...
#EI25: “Standing together: the power of teachers in the fight for democracy”, by Steffen Handal