Ei-iE

Further and higher education and research are human rights and the responsibility of the State. They require sustainable public funding to fulfill their public mission. This message was loud and clear as the Higher Education Caucus gathered on July 28 to address the pressing challenges confronting the sector.

Held during Education International (EI) 10th World Congress taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Caucus provided a platform for educators from around the world to share insights and strategies to advance Higher Education for the common good. Increasing workloads, precarious employment, attacks on academic freedom and chronic underfunding were at the forefront of discussions.

David Edwards, EI’s General Secretary, opened the event emphasising the critical nature of these challenges: "Higher education is at a crossroads. We must come together to advocate for the resources and respect our profession deserves to continue shaping the minds of future generations."

Edwards further highlighted, "We do not need to look far to witness those damaging policies and their tremendous impact on the sector given the devastating situation here in Argentina."

Against this backdrop, Edwards underscored the importance of the recommendations from the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession: "The High-Level Panel's recommendations provide a clear plan to transform our profession into one that is highly respected and well-supported. This is essential for guiding and promoting inclusive, effective, and relevant learning at all levels of education."

Go Public Fund Education! EI’s priority moving forward

EI’s Sonia Grigt presented Education International’s work programme in Further and Higher Education and Research since the last Congress in 2019 and upcoming events. Grigt highlighted the 12th International Further and Higher Education and Research Conference held in Mexico in October 2023, which focused on EI’s Go Public! Fund Education campaign, organising for better terms and conditions, and advancing the public mission of further and higher education.

Additionally, she discussed several research projects commissioned by EI including research on Higher Education Funding across the globe and a recent brief titled: Activating the Recommendations for Higher Education. This brief outlines the High-Level Panel's recommendations relevant to higher education, underscoring the need for equitable funding, protection of academic freedom, and the importance of social dialogue and collective bargaining in developing education policies.

Higher Education in an age of crisis: Navigating the storm

Howard Stevenson, from the University of Nottingham, presented the preliminary results of a research commissioned by EI, which will provide a basis for EI’s Report on the higher education sector to the Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendations Concerning Teaching Personnel (CEART).

Stevenson noted that working in higher education is like being in the eye of a storm. He described the current period as one of ‘polycrisis’—encompassing ecological, public health, democratic, and economic crises—all of which impact education workers in further and higher education and research. He emphasised the ecological crisis posing an existential threat that necessitates all intellectual resources and best knowledge, including research. Despite this, there is a denial of the crisis by far right forces.

Precarious working conditions are on the rise, and the cost of living crisis further erodes the real value of funding, pay, and pensions. In Argentina, the higher education and research sector experienced a 30 per cent reduction in real value within just six months.

Stevenson also noted the increasing direct attacks on academic freedom in countries like Argentina, Turkey, and the United States, and the undermining of collegial governance in favor of more managerial forms of governance. Trade union rights are being increasingly challenged, and international governance and institutions face political challenges. Stevenson highlighted the opportunity for the High Level Panel recommendations to strengthen these institutions and the mandate of their committees, addressing higher education governance, technology in education including Artificial Intelligence, and workforce inequalities.

Growing our unions, elevating our professions, defending democracy

The Caucus continued with a Panel discussion moderated by Sandra Grey from Tertiary Education Union (TEU), New Zealand, featuring voices from across the globe, each highlighting unique challenges and successes. Rosalia Fatiaki from Association of the University Staff of the Pacific Islands (AUSPS), in Fiji, addressed the increasing workload due to a lack of staff, which forces educators to focus more on teaching than research, while they are still assessed on research outputs. She also mentioned the shift to online learning and emphasised the importance of standing in solidarity with those defending academic freedom, highlighting the case of Tamara Osborne. Maxine Looby from University and College Union (UCU), UK, highlighted the severe job cuts and the 40 per cent real-term funding drop in the last decade in the UK, leading to significant pay disparities and a lack of national bargaining. She also emphasised the burnout due to workload issues and the need to build membership density. David Dzatsunga from College Lecturers Association of Zimbabwe (COLAZ), Zimbabwe, focused on improving conditions for college lecturers and shared the success of changing legislation to improve their status. Yamile Socolovsky from la Federación Nacional de Docentes Universitarixs (CONADU) in Argentina discussed the privatisation and commercialisation within the higher education sector, and the severe budget cuts made by Javier Milei of over 70 per cent, along with a 30 per cent real-term salary reduction. She stressed the urgent need for resolutions to address these attacks on public universities. Jeffery M. Freitas from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), USA, emphasised the importance of academic freedom and the risks posed by Artificial Intelligence that could strip away these freedoms.

A plenary discussion wrapped up the event with a strong emphasis on solidarity and collective action. In their final statements, panelists echoed powerful calls for continued unity and action. Fatiaki urged participants to "stand in solidarity fearlessly." Dzatsunga called for a fight against "right-wing populism." Looby emphasised the need to "check in regularly with each other to continue solidarity." Socolovsky reminded everyone that "la única lucha que se pierde es la que se abandona" (the only fight we lose is the one we abandon). Freitas stressed the importance of growing and organising members, urging everyone to "educate and organise!"