EI at the World Social Forum in Nairobi: qualified teachers are crucial for quality education
EI is present at the 6th World Social Forum, currently being held in Nairobi from 20-25 Jan. More than twelve thousand participants from all over the world are attending this global event to exchange their experiences and ideas about how "another world is possible" - the theme of this year's WSF.
Together with its member organisations and partners - GCE and UNESCO, EI organised a session on "the quality of education and non-qualified teachers", which attracted more than a hundred participants from all continents.
Several presentations were made, followed by a debate from which emerged the irrefutable fact that qualified teachers are a crucial element for quality education. Efforts have been made in a number of countries to grant universal access to education through the abolition of school fees. But this must be coupled with measures to recruit a sufficient number of qualified teachers, giving them with an acceptable salary and working conditions to attract and retain the best among them.
EI will also organise another session on "girls and their vulnerability to AIDS", with UNESCO and Action Aid. EI Executive Boardmember and UNATU General Secretary Teopista Birungi will present the situation in Uganda and EI's EFAIDS programme conducted in more than 20 countries.
