Ei-iE

Teachers in public primary and secondary schools in Senegal are on a 72-hour strike from 30 May to 1 June.

At its 26th Annual Conference which took place in April, EI member organisation the Zimbabwe Teacher’s Association (ZIMTA) called on its government to address the severe political, social and economic problems that are leading to massive brain drain of professionals.

Thousands of teachers took to the streets on May 26 to protest against what they called the Government’s meagre salary offer to them.

EI joins the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) in mourning the death of founder member and national treasurer MacDonald Mangauzani on 27 May. Reports suggest that he succumbed to internal injuries sustained from brutal torture while in police custody last February.

EI held a School Leadership Meeting at the NASUWT Hillscourt Education Centre in Birmingham, England on 15 - 16 May 2007. The meeting, which was hosted by NASUWT, was attended by 30 participants from 13 different countries. EI was represented by Elie Jouen and Denis Sinyolo.

A London Communiqué, taking stock of the progress so far and identifying areas for future work, was adopted at the Ministerial meeting of the Bologna Process in London from 17-18 May.

EI and ESIB (The National Unions of Students in Europe) signed a partnership agreement in 2004 to work together on promoting the joint interests of higher education staff and students. At its last board meeting last week, ESIB changed its name to ESU (European Student Union).

EI wishes to congratulate all those teachers and their unions who put substantial time, effort and creativity into lobbying for improvements to public education during Global Action Week.

From 10 to 13 April 2007, the Free Trade Union of Education Workers (STEB) organised a national 'Training of Trainers' workshop on HIV/AIDS prevention through schools in Bujumbura (Burundi). It was supported by both EI and WHO-AFRO.

As the number of school-age children grows, so too does the need for teachers, and the need for improving the quality of education. Teachers are key actors in this process, but they are still not being sheltered from the devastating HIV and AIDS pandemic.

In the context of the EFAIDS Programme and Education for All in particular, the four teachers’ unions which constitute COSSEL (Senegalese Committee of Teachers Unions United against HIV/AIDS) held a workshop at the end of April on the reinforcement of teachers’ capacities on education-related matters.

In March the state government of Maharashtra, India announced its intention to ban sex education in schools across the state. The Indian teachers' union AIFTO immediately condemned the move as a "retrograde step in the otherwise progressive state of Maharashtra." If the ban goes through, the state will join Karnataka,...

This month, the Trade Union Federation of Education and Science (FSASH-TUFESA) and the Independent Trade Union of Education of Albania (SPASH-ITUEA), the two EI affiliates in the country, have started implementing a project entitled “Child Labour and EFA in Albania: The Teachers’ Contribution.“

According to a new report published mid-April by the WHO, UNAIDS and UNICEF, access to antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV/AIDS in low-income countries continued to grow during 2006, with more than 2 million receiving treatment in December 2006.

According to the Oxfam Briefing Paper on Paying for People, millions of people are dying, sick, or out of school because there are not enough teachers, nurses, and doctors in poor countries.

From 5-9 March 2007, a workshop on "Strengthening the Education Sector Response to School Health, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS Programmes" took place in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Sulbha Donde is the Chairperson of the Women’s Network at EI's member organisation, the All India Primary Teachers Federation (AIPTF).

Members of Brazilian EI affiliate the CNTE took to the streets in force to mark the 4th national march for education on 25th April; an initiative organised as part of the National Week in Defence and Promotion of Public Education.