Ei-iE

Leading the profession

Teachers and education support personnel know what works in education. They must be recognised and empowered to deliver on the promise of quality education for all.

At the classroom level, academic freedom and professional autonomy are prerequisites for quality teaching and learning. As professionals, teachers must be afforded the space and trust to make the best possible decisions for their students.

Beyond the classroom, education policy must be informed by the vast experience and insights only education professionals can provide. We advocate for the involvement of teachers, education support personnel and their representative organisations in all decision-making in education and work towards the expansion of sectoral policy dialogue at all levels and in all countries.

Our work in this area

  1. News 24 September 2026

    Education unions pledge to fight for and lead a new era of education financing

    Following the disappointing outcome of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) replenishment meeting, education union leaders from around the world came together to demand urgent government action. Education International (EI) and its member organisations will intensify pressure on political leaders to fully fund public education and uphold every child’s right...

    Education unions pledge to fight for and lead a new era of education financing
  3. News 22 September 2026

    DR Congo: Ebola is undermining education and increasing the vulnerability of school communities

    As the Ebola outbreak continues to spread across several provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), its impact on education is an ever-growing cause for concern. School closures, falling attendance rates, disruption to learning and fears of infection are taking a heavy toll on pupils, teaching staff, and the...

    DR Congo: Ebola is undermining education and increasing the vulnerability of school communities
  5. News 7 September 2026

    Zimbabwe: Urgent need for fair wages, collective bargaining rights, and sustainable education financing

    Despite signs of economic stabilisation in Zimbabwe, many educators say they are still struggling to make ends meet. While inflation has slowed and growth indicators have improved, teachers' salaries continue to lag far behind the cost of living, leaving education workers caught between government claims of fiscal constraints and the...

    Zimbabwe: Urgent need for fair wages, collective bargaining rights, and sustainable education financing
  6. News 31 August 2026

    Eswatini: Union campaign strengthens social dialogue while exposing chronic underinvestment in education

    The Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Lot Vilakati acknowledged that years of campaigning for increased public investment in education are beginning to yield results, with education financing now receiving greater attention from government officials and policymakers. However, the union warns that severe funding gaps, widespread precarious employment...

    Eswatini: Union campaign strengthens social dialogue while exposing chronic underinvestment in education
  7. News 27 August 2026

    Fiji: Educators demand better pay and working conditions to halt overseas brain drain

    Hundreds of teachers, retired educators, and Fijian Teachers Association (FTA) members marched to voice growing concerns over low salaries, worsening working conditions, and the continued loss of experienced teachers to overseas employment opportunities.

    Fiji: Educators demand better pay and working conditions to halt overseas brain drain
  8. News 25 August 2026

    Togo: Research and trade union voices at the centre of the Go Public! Fund Education campaign launch

    It is essential that trade union advocacy and the fight for public education be supported by facts, analysis, and clear demands. The importance of this approach was reaffirmed by the National Federation of Education Trade Unions (FESEN) at the launch of Education International’s Go Public: Fund Education campaign in Togo....

    Togo: Research and trade union voices at the centre of the Go Public! Fund Education campaign launch
  10. News 18 August 2026

    Namibia: Education is a national priority, but challenges must be addressed

    While the Namibia National Teachers' Union (NANTU) welcomed Namibia’s commitment to publicly funded education, it warned that the promise of free education will remain empty words unless governments also tackle overcrowded classrooms, shortages, infrastructure gaps and the additional hidden costs that keep learners from fully enjoying their right to learn.

    Namibia: Education is a national priority, but challenges must be addressed
  11. News 18 August 2026

    Malawi: Unions put education funding and improving working conditions on the national agenda

    Education unions strongly reaffirmed that quality public education begins with quality funding during the Education International (EI) Southern Africa Sub-Regional Workshop on the Go Public! Fund Education campaign, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 23rd-24th, 2026.

    Malawi: Unions put education funding and improving working conditions on the national agenda
  13. News 8 July 2026

    The teacher shortage is not gender-neutral: Researchers call to address inequality

    The Education International (EI) Research Network (ResNet), which brings together trade unionists and researchers, explained that the global teacher shortage cannot be understood — or confronted — without addressing the gendered inequalities that shape education systems, the workplace, and the profession itself.

    The teacher shortage is not gender-neutral: Researchers call to address inequality
  14. News 26 May 2026

    Haiti: Education unions stand firm in the face of insecurity and political instability

    Despite the prolonged political crisis, endemic violence, and growing economic insecurity , education unions in Haiti are continuing their campaign to defend public education and teachers’ rights. Meeting within the framework of the Go Public! Fund Education campaign, trade union leaders present a clear picture of the situation and reiterate...

    Haiti: Education unions stand firm in the face of insecurity and political instability
  15. News 12 May 2026

    ComNet Europe: Union communicators align to advance public education, democracy and workers’ rights

    Education union communicators from across Europe came together through the Education International (EI) ComNet Europe to sharpen a shared narrative: public education must be defended and funded, democracy must be protected, and Artificial Intelligence y in schools must be shaped by educators - not imposed on them.

    ComNet Europe: Union communicators align to advance public education, democracy and workers’ rights
  16. Statements 30 April 2026

    May Day: Wisdom workers of the world, unite, inspire, lead!

    We are Education International. We are over 33 million teachers and education workers across 180 countries and territories. We educate the world. In our classrooms, in our schools and universities, in our communities, we stand together for public education, for our profession, for people and planet.

    May Day: Wisdom workers of the world, unite, inspire, lead!
  17. News 30 April 2026

    Education unions are key to the global fight against raging global inequality

    Education unions are a key force in the global struggle against extreme inequality and the growing political power of the ultra-rich, according to Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of Oxfam International. Behar described how billionaires are no longer content with buying yet another luxury yacht and are pursuing political influence to...

    Education unions are key to the global fight against raging global inequality
  18. News 27 April 2026

    Cuba: Education International calls for an end to the fuel blockade and U.S. military threats against the island

    In light of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Cuba, and the threat of further U.S. military and economic aggression in the hemisphere, Education International called for an end to the fuel blockade, and a commitment from the United States to "resolving differences through dialogue and diplomacy."

    Cuba: Education International calls for an end to the fuel blockade and U.S. military threats against the island