Death of a public education champion
Alain Mouchoux, former ETUCE General Secretary, unexpectedly passed away in the morning of 22 February at the age of 77. "A strongly committed trade union activist and a true public education champion has left us," says EI General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Claudine and to his children."
As a primary school inspector Alain Mouchoux became an active member of the national school inspector’s union (SNIDEN), before being elected in 1982 as National Secretary for Education of the Fédération de l’éducation nationale (FEN). Mouchoux also led his organization's international work and played an active role in the establishment of Education International. Until 1994 he was president of the " Comité syndical francophone de l’é ducation et de la formation (CSFEF)", an organisation representing francophone education unions affiliated to EI.
He was elected General Secretary of the European Trade Union Committee for Education in 1994 a position which he held until 2002. Under Mouchoux's leadership ETUCE became the voice of the teaching profession in the European Union.
After his retirement in 2002 Mouchoux continued to be engaged at both national and international level. In France, he helped create "Teachers without borders", an organisation mobilizing educators to spend their holidays helping build schools in developing countries, while playing an active role in the movement for the protection of public education and secularism, " Solidarité laï que". Meanwhile he continued representing Education International at the Council of Europe as Vice-President of the Conference of international nongovernmental organisations (INGOs).
"We remember Alain Mouchoux first of all as a strongly committed trade union activist and a true public education champion", says EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen.
"A man with a big heart and an incredible energy who set an important example to all of us."
“Alain’s death was completely unexpected,” says ETUCE Director Martin Rømer. “He was the first full-time ETUCE General Secretary and left an important mark. He will be sorely missed by all of us who knew him and worked closely with him throughout the years.”
Funeral services are scheduled to take place on Thursday, 26 January at 13:30 at "Cimetière parisien du Père-Lachaise", 75020 Paris (métro Gambetta, entrance: rue des Rondeaux).No flowers. Gifts to Médecins sans frontières (Doctors without borders) are welcome - http://bit.ly/1zaderY. Messages of condolences are to be addressed to [email protected].
