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Fred van Leeuwen (left) and Mary Hatwood Futrell
Fred van Leeuwen (left) and Mary Hatwood Futrell

EI: new podcast looks back at 25 years of Education International’s history

published 2 March 2018 updated 2 March 2018

To mark the quarter century of Education International, founding General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen recounts in his own words how the organisation came to be and how he sees its influence moving forward.

“In 1993 it wasn’t absolutely sure that it would be possible to have this organisation operate effectively with such an ideological diversity, but we did,” says van Leeuwen during the podcast. “

From the seeds of its creation in the early 1980s to its formation in Stockholm Sweden in 1993, Education International (EI)’s outgoing General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen sat down to reflect on the past and consider the future of the organisation and the teaching profession.

“Teaching has become a global profession, teachers need to take part in the conversation that’s currently taking place about the future of the profession.”

The podcast pulls back the curtain on stories never before shared by van Leeuwen. From deciding on leadership roles in a bar in Amsterdam to the stages needed for EI to become a power at the global stage, he moves through the intricate history of the world’s largest professional organisation.

Listen to the podcast here