Ei-iE

The 10th Education International (EI) World Congress, meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 29th July to 2nd August 2024:

1. WHEREAS, EI, as a global federation representing education professionals worldwide, recognises the right of every student to a trained and qualified teacher and the critical importance of a well-supported and diverse teaching workforce in achieving equitable, quality education for all;
2. WHEREAS, schools and education institutions are the centre of communities and this unique role requires a trusted, supported and valued workforce, where teachers and education support personnel are fundamental;
3. WHEREAS, the world is facing an unprecedented teacher shortage, threatening the right to education for millions of students, exacerbating inequalities and discriminations, and undermining the long-term social and economic development of communities and nations;
4. WHEREAS, at the root of this shortage lies underinvestment in the teaching profession, resulting in uncompetitive salaries, unmanageable workloads and intensification of work, poor working conditions and precarious employment;
5. The urgency of this crisis demands that EI redoubles its efforts to address the teacher shortage and enhance the status and conditions of the teaching profession globally.

The 10th EI World Congress recognises:

6. The severity of the global teacher shortage, with UNESCO estimating the need for an additional 44 million teachers to attain universal primary and secondary education by 2030, with Sub-Saharan Africa alone requiring 15 million new teachers, and even more teachers needed for the early childhood, technical, vocational and higher education levels;
7. The commitments made by the member states of the United Nations to SDG 4.C, namely by 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states;
8. The indispensable role of education support personnel (ESP) for inclusive equitable quality education and the fact that public education funding shortfalls lead to poor employment conditions, precarious contracts and ESP roles being cut;
9. That millions of students across the globe, especially in low- and lower-middle-income countries, are being denied the right to quality education and therefore their futures;
10. That whilst systemic in some jurisdictions, the shortage in many others is uneven and context-specific, with heightened shortages found for instance in certain levels of education such as early childhood education, certain subjects such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and certain specialisms such as special education;
11. That the shortage disproportionately affects marginalised communities, exacerbating educational disparities, limits educational opportunity, and impedes universal access to free quality education;
12. That even in cases where there is an adequate supply of trained and qualified teachers, teacher shortages can be fuelled by austerity policies and public sector wage bill constraints imposed by the International Monetary Fund and many national Governments, which limit recruitment;
13. The efforts of many governments to denigrate the profession by hiring under-/unqualified teachers in antithesis to EI’s professional standards resolution adopted in Bangkok in 2019;
14. That underqualified personnel are less prepared, which creates an additional workload for experienced staff who have to offer support, and have far higher attrition rates than qualified teachers with comprehensive training;
15. That training and recruiting new teachers is more costly than investing in policies to retain the existing workforce;
16. That in many countries teachers earn less than similarly educated professionals;
17. That the low status of the profession, and in particular that of early childhood educators, is linked to teaching being a predominantly female profession and a systematic devaluation of women’s work;
18. The need to expand recruitment, preparation and retention of qualified teachers with professional autonomy to ensure diversity and their equitable deployment , so that schools and communities facing particular challenges are properly supported;
19. The need to ensure gender pay equity for the education workforce, equal pay for work of equal value, and the development of policies to promote and ensure women's leadership;
20. The special role human relationships play in teaching and learning and that teachers can never be replaced by technology or artificial intelligence.

Increasing the attractiveness of the profession to ensure recruitment and retention:

21. EI underscores the need for attractive salaries that are comparable with those of other professions requiring similar qualifications, secure contracts, and terms of employment for all teachers at all levels that ensure work-life balance;
22. EI stresses the importance of an appropriate career policy with attention to all stages of careers in education with initial guidance and mentorship programs for early career teachers, continuous professionalisation for all teachers and an end-of-career policy to make working in education feasible and attractive;
23. EI demands safe and adequate working environments, improved working conditions, including manageable workloads and class sizes, and inclusive, safe, supportive and non-discriminatory teaching and learning environments that mitigate emotional and relational strains;
24. EI stresses the importance of multiple opportunities and guarantees for free, quality continuous professional development (CPD) that meets teachers’ needs and enables teaching staff to assert their professionalism, including training in digital tools and resources, and sustainability and environmental education, thereby supporting an up-to-date, relevant and engaging educational environment;
25. EI recognises that a good start in the teaching profession is crucial and highlights the importance of new teachers being included in induction programs that involve mentoring from qualified mentors;
26. EI recognises the diverse needs of educators, EI encourages the development and implementation of tailored continuous professional development programmes that enhance teachers' skills, efficacy, and job satisfaction, including comprehensive psychological support, mental health services, stress management resources, and other initiatives designed to reduce burnout among teachers. Staff delivering these programmes should have decent, secure jobs;
27. EI further demands workplaces that are free from political and cultural interference, which help maintain a diverse workforce. Micromanagement from local and central authorities must not come in conflict with teachers’ professional autonomy or academic freedom and the opportunity to exercise professional judgement;
28. EI calls for a workplace free from all violence, including gender-based violence and harassment, and for all countries to introduce targeted prevention and teacher retainment strategies to foster a strong and diverse workforce;
29. EI emphasises the importance and necessity of expanding both the reach and scope of social dialogue and collective bargaining in developing effective and sustainable solutions to the teacher shortage;
30. EI calls for the active involvement of education professionals, unions, governments, parents, students, and other stakeholders in defining the policies to raise the status of teachers. In addition to addressing pay and conditions, this requires a guarantee and respect for professional autonomy and academic freedom.

The 10th EI World Congress calls on Governments to:

31. Act according to the commitments to SDG 4.C to tackle the teacher shortage;
32. Invest in the profession; pay teachers a competitive salary and improve their pay relative to other professions requiring the same level of education;
33. Guarantee the human and trade union rights of teachers without discrimination, including freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom of association;
34. Invest in quality working conditions and a healthy learning environment, to attract and retain teachers in the profession;
35. Invest in quality educational infrastructure, facilities and materials;
36. Invest in and expand quality initial training, induction programmes and free continuous professional development opportunities during working hours. Ensure an adequate student-teacher ratio and good working conditions;
37. Engage in and expand collective bargaining and social dialogue and foster a relationship with education unions based on trust and mutual respect, observing ILO Convention 98 and 87;
38. Protect teachers, especially women and marginalised groups to create work zones free from violence and ensure the implementation of ILO Convention 190;
39. Recognise and act on the recommendations of the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, notably its recommendation on establishing national commissions on the teacher shortage;
40. Develop a positive narrative around teachers and educators using specific data and timelines that enhance their key role in society and increases the perceived value of the profession;
41. Eliminate precarious employment contracts;
42. Eliminate the use of un/underqualified personnel. Staff working without the requisite qualifications should receive paid in-service training leading to full recognition;
43. Reject austerity policies and public sector wage bill constraints imposed by the International Monetary Fund and many national governments that limit the number of teachers hired; and
44. Investigate the degree to which there are shortages of education support personnel and the nature, scope and causes of such shortages as well as their impact on the equity, inclusion and quality of education.

This Congress calls on member organisations to:

45. Continue and deepen their engagement with the EI campaign Go Public! Fund Education at local, national and international level, taking stock of the measures taken in each country on World Teachers' Day on 5 October 2024;
46. Hold governments accountable for the demands addressed at them and maintain involvement in governance arrangements;
47. Monitor and address the teacher shortage at the national level and, where possible, include concrete targets for staff-student ratio, teacher-pupil/student ratio, class sizes, number of teaching hours and other concrete targets which influence the workload of teachers in collective bargaining campaigns and agreements; and
48. Grow membership and improve the coverage and scope of collective bargaining.

This Congress calls on the Executive Board to:

49. Intensify efforts through the campaign Go Public! Fund Education to increase investment in public education to secure quality education for all, which requires investment in the teaching profession to ensure a qualified teacher in every classroom, every day, every lesson for every learner, globally;
50. Continue efforts to keep the teacher shortage high on the global policy agendas and demand the full implementation of the recommendations of the High-level Panel on the Teaching profession, including in its engagement with intergovernmental organisations;
51. Provide resources and advocacy materials to support EI member organisations to advocate for policy actions to tackle the root causes of the teacher shortage in their country and for the full implementation of the recommendations of the High-level Panel on the Teaching profession;
52. Recognise the need for a strategic, long-term vision for the teaching profession that anticipates and prepares for future educational needs, demographic shifts, and technological advancements that guides the development of policies to enhance the quality of education globally and in the future; and
53. Support the development of this strategic vision, promoting together with member organisations consultations, exchanges, and reflections on topics such as the attractiveness of the teaching profession, the retention of young professionals, as well as the design of effective and transparent recruitment processes that are based on real needs, and resistant to corruption and cronyism.