10 things to know about Education International
1. The voice of educators everywhere
Education International is the global federation of education unions, representing more than 32 million teachers and education support personnel, from early childhood to university, in 383 affiliated member organisations in 178 countries. EI is headquartered in Brussels and has regional representation in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America and the Caribbean.
2. Standing up for our common values
Education International defends the universal right to free quality public education; the professional status, rights and working conditions of educators; social justice and equity; democracy, human and trade union rights.
3. Bringing together educators around the world
Education International is governed by a quadrennial World Congress that convenes the largest international group of delegate-educators in the world.
4. Education leaders from every corner of the world
The president of Education International is Susan Hopgood, a math teacher from Australia. EI Vice Presidents are colleagues from South Africa, Brazil, Japan, Sweden, and the U.S.
5. Our founders: NEA's voice from day one
Education International was founded more than 25 years ago. NEA’s Mary Hatwood Futrell was the founding president!
6. International Summit on the Teaching Profession
Education International is a founding partner of the International Summit on the Teaching Profession, along with the OECD. In 2023, the Summit was hosted in Washington DC. The Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and First Lady Jill Biden attended the event to welcome and support educators.
7. Celebrating educators in all their roles
Together with UNESCO, Education International established World Teachers' Day (October 5). It also created the first International Education Support Personnel Day (May 16).
The second edition of the Education International Education Support Personnel Conference took place in Portugal in 2023 and put forward a strong statement urging governments to increase funding in education systems and to invest in trained and qualified education support personnel that have good working conditions, to ensure quality education for all.
Participants received messages of thanks and support from high-level figures, including from Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organization.
8. A key voice and advocate among global institutions
Education International has built strong strategic partnerships with leading international organizations, such as UNESCO, the OECD, the International Labour Organization, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the World Health Organization, and with international NGOs such as, Amnesty International, Action Aid, and EARTHDAY.ORG.
Watch NEA President Becky Pringle address the United Nations Transforming Education Summit, the first high-level UN event focused on education.
Throughout the Summit, EI advocated for the creation of a UN Commission to address the global teacher shortage. Our efforts were successful, with the new initiative being announced at the end of the Summit by the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed.
9. Working for peace around the world
Education International stands for peace and advocates for schools to be protected as safe sanctuaries all across the world.
In addition to global advocacy for peace, Education International coordinates solidarity actions from members across the world in support of colleagues and students affected by conflicts, most recently in Ukraine and Palestine.
10. International campaigns to build the future we want
As the voice of the teaching profession, Education International mounts global campaigns that rally colleagues and allies across borders and continents to:
- Go Public! Fund Education
- Call for quality climate education and climate justice
- Put an end to gender-based violence
- Stand up for human rights and democracy
Every day, Education International is advocating for education as a human right and public good and upholding the right to a quality public education for ALL students.
Together we can make our common vision of education a reality. Our 10th World Congress in Buenos Aires is the next step in building the future we want. See you in Argentina in July 2024!