Ei-iE

Countdown to Congress! The 6th World Congress of EI will convene in Cape Town, South Africa, in 50 days! Congress related events will begin with the EI/PSI Sexual Diversity Forum on 18 July and conclude with the final session of Congress itself on 26 July. In between there will be seven half-day sessions of Congress itself, eight Breakout Sessions, five pre-Congress events and five special events, as well as regional meetings of Congress delegates, meetings of the Executive Board and meetings of the various Congress Committees.

Congress Registration Almost 850 delegates have registered to attend Congress and almost 500 observers. More detailed information is available in the PDF to be downloaded on the right-hand side of this page.

Pre-Congress Events, Breakout Sessions and Special Events Registration is also open for pre-Congress events, Breakout Sessions and Special Events, for those who have not already registered for these events. Due to space limitations at the venues reserved for these meetings, it may not be possible to accommodate all of those who wish to participate in particular meetings. Spaces will be allocated on the basis of pre-registration and then on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you have not registered your choices yet please do so soon on the Congress website (www.ei-ie.org/congress6).

Information on the pre-Congress events, including the EI/PSI Diversity Forum, the Higher Education Caucus, the Women’s Caucus, and the Indigenous Caucus, the Breakout Sessions, and the Special Events, which include a Vocational Education and Training Seminar, a Forum on Migration of Teachers and a Workshop on Privatisation of Public Schools, is also available on the Congress website (www.ei-ie.org/congress6).

Arrival in South Africa For some participants, Johannesburg may be the first entry point into South Africa.  They will have to clear Immigration and customs before proceeding to the Domestic Departures Terminal.  Please make sure, where possible, to check luggage through to Cape Town at the beginning of your journey.  If this is not possible, you must remember to pick up your luggage in Johannesburg and then re-check your luggage through to Cape Town.

For participants arriving in Cape Town, there will be an EI/Winners desk before Immigration to assist with any problems relating to entry visas or customs declarations.

Transportation from/to the airport A shuttle bus service will be provided from the Cape Town airport to the Congress Centre and to the hotels in the immediate vicinity of the Centre, from 19 to midday on 22 July. Look out for staff with EI signs which will be located just outside of the customs hall after you have collected your luggage. You will be directed to the Transport Desk where you will be taken to the next available departing bus.  If you have had problems with your luggage not arriving on your flight, staff at this desk will also be able to help you. The bus service will also be provided back to the airport on the evening of 26 and on 27 July. Details will be advertised at the Winners Desk at the CTICC with a timetable of departures.

If you would like to arrange individual or group transportation for your delegation, you can do this via Winners at [email protected]. Payment for this service should be made directly to Winners. There will be no transportation arranged between hotels and the CTICC.  Most of the recommended hotels are within easy walking distance of the conference venue. We will provide information about the local bus schedules.

Social Functions A Welcome Reception will be held in the ballroom of the CTICC (Conference Centre) at the end of the opening day of Congress. All participants are invited to attend.

A Taste of Cape Town On the evening of the second day at the end of the Congress sessions all participants will be invited to a special “Taste of Cape Town” evening which will be held in Ratanga Junction, a special venue near Cape Town. Participants will have an opportunity to experience some local entertainment and culture. Coaches will take participants to the venue directly after the final Congress session of the day. There will be a shuttle service at the end of the evening to return participants, where possible, to their hotels or close by. The Taste of Cape Town evening is sponsored by the EI European and North American member organisations.

Awards Dinner The Awards dinner will take place on Monday 25 July, the programme for the dinner is as follows:

• 19.00-19.30 - Reception
• 19.30-20.30 - Awards Ceremony
• 20.30-23.30 - Dinner and dancing

As space is limited to 900, please order tickets for your delegation as soon as possible. If your delegation would like to sit together, please send us this information so that we can arrange the table plan. Tickets which have been ordered and paid for in advance will be available for collection from the Finance Office at Congress from the first day of registration onwards.  If there are tickets still available they may also be purchased from the Finance Office. Tickets for the event will cost €65 ($95US) each and may now be ordered at the Congress email address [email protected] and paid for by bank transfer to the following account:

EI Congress Awards Dinner Account, I.N.G. Bank, Rue du Champ de Mars, 23,1050 Brussels, Belgium, Bank account 310-1006004-06 IBAN BE85 3101 0060 0406 SWIFT code : BBRUBEBB

Lunches and Coffee breaks Lunch will be available for purchase by participants in the various restaurants and outlets in the CTICC. There will be a variety of hot and cold snacks available at reasonable prices. Lunch may also be obtained at many small restaurants and cafes which are within walking distance of the CTICC. Coffee, soft drinks and other refreshments will be available for purchase in the Exhibition Area and in the CTICC coffee shop. There will be water available for participants from coolers in the plenary room.

Remaining Congress Deadlines

Payment of dues The final statement of dues paid and entitlement to votes and delegates will be prepared immediately after 30th June, which is the final deadline for the payment of 2011 dues. The calculation of entitlement to delegates and votes at Congress is based on the average number of members for which dues have been paid for the years 2008/9/10 and 11. Appeals to the Credentials Committee regarding the allocation of delegates or votes should be submitted at the latest to the EI Secretariat ([email protected]) in Brussels prior to 16 July or after 18 July in the CTICC in Cape Town by 17.00 hours (Cape Town time) on 21 July.

Amendments to Resolutions The final time and date for submitting amendments to Congress resolutions is 17.00 hrs, Western European (Brussels) Time, on 21 June.

Urgent Resolutions Urgent Resolutions, on matters arising within three months of the opening of Congress, must be submitted by the proposing organisation to the General Secretary (at [email protected]) prior to 09.00 hrs (Cape Town time) on the morning of the first day of Congress, 22 July.

Nominations for Executive Board Elections The Elections Committee, which will be appointed by Congress at the beginning of the second session on the first day of Congress, will decide on the timetable for the conduct of elections to the Executive Board. The deadlines for nominations will be announced after its first meeting.

Bring a Book for Equal Education Almost 70 per cent of schools in South Africa do not have access to a properly equipped library where children can learn and teachers teach so EI is encouraging all participants who are coming to Congress to ‘bring a book’ from their country and help to build a library. EI will be working with Equal Education which is a movement of young people, parents, teachers and unions working for quality and equality in education across South Africa. Equal Education is supported by South African teachers’ unions, NAPTOSA and SADTU.

Some of Equal Education’s major accomplishments include: putting the question of school libraries and access to books on the national agenda; bringing down late-coming in schools where it is a chronic problem; and, through its campaigning, winning major allocation of resources to address school infrastructure. Equal Education’s ‘Bookery project’ will receive the books that are brought by EI World Congress participants to help establish school libraries in South Africa.

Participants may visit Equal Education at their stand in the EI Congress exhibition area, where they can deposit books and learn more about the campaigns which it runs. More information is also available on its website: www.equaleducation.org.za