Ei-iE

The Education International First World Congress meeting in Harare (Zimbabwe) from 19 to 23 July 1995:

1. Believes that, in order to meet the growing trend towards global teacher mobility, there must be a set of guiding principles in teacher education which are agreed and applied internationally. If adhered to, these would:

a. Make it more difficult for governments and employers to suppress or undercut the wages and worsen the conditions of service of indigenous teachers;

b. Provide consistency in educational standards between countries;

c. Promote the need for teacher education to be based on the concept of professional development throughout their careers;

d. Enable teachers to achieve their professional career potential in teaching itself if they wish, rather than through promotion into management posts.

2. Believes that these guiding principles should include:

a. Provision of teacher education and training programmes as an integral part of higher education;

b. Parity of esteem of teachers' educational qualifications with other higher education disciplines and qualifications;

c. Parity of esteem and appropriate content of teacher education for all sectors of education from pre-primary to post-secondary;

d. A balance in teacher education between theoretical and practical studies, both of which should provide the skills and knowledge a teacher is expected to possess upon taking up appointment;

e. The formation of properly resourced partnerships between Higher Education providers and schools in order for teachers of proven classroom experience to play an active role in initial selection and subsequent assessment of student teachers;

f. A properly resourced and supported induction period;

g. A commitment to the continuing personal and professional development of teachers during their careers through the provision of in-service training, staff development, professional support and opportunities for sabbatical leave, and the necessary resources must be made available for this.