COVID-19: Education unions stand united and mobilise
March 2020
March 2020
The rapid and wide spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease that it causes require an urgent global response to protect health and stimulate the economy. Governments and employers must act to protect workers and tackle transmission in workplaces.
Council of Global Unions Joint Statement | COVID-19 Urgent Economic Stimulus and Workplace Measures RequiredIn order to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, it is essential to follow the guidelines provided by the World Health Organisation and the advice of national health authorities. Misinformation during this crisis can have deadly consequences. Educators play an essential role in informing their students and communities on...
World Health Organisation guidelinesThe COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow at an alarming rate, resulting in numerous infections and fatalities across the globe. The impact on education has been devastating, with UNESCO reporting that over 1.5 billion students had been affected due to school closures in 165 countries as of 26 March 2020; this...
Guiding principles on the COVID-19 pandemicThe Education International Executive Board held an emergency webinar on Friday, 3 April. During the call, the Executive Board adopted a resolution outlining educators’ key demands to all governments and international institutions dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak.
COVID-19: Educators call for global solidarity and a human-centred approach to the crisisIn a statement released ahead of the (virtual) Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Global Unions including Education International have called on the international finance institutions (IFIs) to take action for economic stimulus, debt relief and healthcare.
Education International and global union partners call on international finance institutions to coordinate an urgent and equitable response to the COVID-19 crisisOn World Intellectual Property Day, 26 April, Education International calls for copyright legislation to be urgently updated to ensure open access to research and education materials for teachers and researchers across the world. This need has been intensified by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has caused an unprecedented disruption in...
World Intellectual Property Day: Open access to research and educational resources is imperative during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyondInternational Workers’ Memorial Day on occupational health and safety, observed the 28th of April every year. The international day was born in 1996 to mourn those who had died on the job and to fight for the living. It has spread to all continents of the world.
International Workers Memorial Day 2020 and COVID-19; mourn for the dead and fight for the livingAs a growing number of countries are considering easing restrictions and gradually resuming onsite education, Education International stresses a set of five dimensions that should be considered by governments, in dialogue with educators and their unions, when planning this next phase of the response to the COVID-19 crisis in education.
Education International Guidance on Reopening Schools and Education InstitutionsThe Education International Africa Regional Committee, in a virtual meeting held on 20 April 2020, adopted a statement that focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in the region and urged governments to consult teachers and education support personnel (ESP) through their representative organisations to ensure that...
EI African Regional Committee adopts statement of COVID-19 impact and re-opening of schoolsThe statement adopted by the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee cites the divergent approaches of governments to the impact of COVID-19 on health, workers, and the economy. It also stresses the lack of consultation of education unions, with rare exceptions, on questions related to the pandemic in the region.
EI Asia-Pacific Regional Committee adopts statement on COVID-19Education International surveyed its member organisations across five regions to learn about the different strategies and approaches of their governments, and the actions their own organisations to support their members and all education workers. While there are multiple, varied, and substantive challenges from one country to the next, certain trends...
The first online meeting of Education International’s Development Cooperation Network let partners come together to meet the needs of the teaching unions badly affected by the COVID-19 epidemic.
Development Cooperation: a solid approach to unions’ needs linked to the COVID-19 crisisThe Regional Committee of Education International Latin America (EILA) has prepared a declaration regarding the safe reopening of schools in the region.
Latin America: Social dialogue and quality public policies to overcome the COVID-19 crisisMany economists predict that the COVID-19 pandemic will produce the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Policies and the details of their implementation will not only determine if economic recovery is successful, but if that recovery accelerates or slows the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals...
Post-pandemic economic recovery requires radical rethink and global solidarity, say union bodiesEducation International has launched a COVID-19 Solidarity Fund to strengthen education trade unions following the COVID-19 pandemic. The solidarity of many member organisations has already provided contributions, and requests to provide support for union activities have been received from other affiliated unions.
Education International’s COVID-19 Solidarity Fund is operationalAlarming reports of an exponential increase of gender-based violence have emerged from all regions of the world, since full or partial lockdowns were imposed in most countries over the last three months in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Education unions have mobilised to combat this worrying trend.
Lessons from union programme against gender-based violence essential during the Covid-19 pandemicEducation International and Public Services International have joined forces for a high-profile conference that brings together leading progressive thinkers and union leaders to discuss the post-Covid19 future and how to shape it. The online event will take place on 29 June.
Education International and Public Services International convene high-profile online conferenceThe objective of this review is to outline current thinking on the role of technology in education. This paper was written before the global Covid -19 pandemic that forced an “online pivot” in educational settings. The “wicked problem” of technology integration in education is now a significant concern for many...
For the first time ever, the United Nations’ annual High-level Political Forum is being held virtually. Running from Tuesday, 7 July, to Thursday, 16 July, it sees governments gather to measure the progress made so far on meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Education International places teachers’ perspective at heart of UN debate on education post-pandemicThe Covid-19 emergency has affected education systems worldwide. The ‘pivot’ to ‘online learning’ and ‘emergency remote teaching’ has positioned educational technology (edtech) as an integral component of education globally, bringing private sector and commercial organisations into the centre of essential educational services.
In an interview with EI, Christina Colclough, future of work expert, discussed teacher adaptation to digitalisation, life-long learning, the digital divide, the relationship between virtual and physical learning, data, and related issues. She stressed that the use and abuse of data was a danger to worker and human rights.
Protecting the human rights of teachers and students and education in the digital ageForward to School provides a wealth of resources to inform the response of education unions in this next stage of the Covid-19 education crisis. It features information, research and, most importantly, examples of union actions in more than 50 countries across all regions.
Education International is relaunching its global survey on the Status of Teachers. The organisation’s largest survey of its 400 affiliated unions aims to better understand the status of teachers around the globe and build a strong basis for advocacy.
Global survey assesses status of teachers in era of COVID-19 pandemicFrom the very beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Education International called on global education union solidarity to help member organisations respond to the sanitary crisis and emerge stronger from it in terms of mobilising, organising and capacity-building.
Education International’s affiliates show tremendous solidarity amongst educators through the COVID-19 Response FundThe Future of Work is not just making the headlines - it has become an issue of increasing importance for students, teachers and the whole of society. While there is always an element of anticipatory anxiety when facing the future there has also been real concern about the arrival of...
Education International brough over 170 scholars, experts, unionists, and activists together to explore how research can underpin advocacy for quality education. The global group met at the 15th Research Network (ResNet) online meeting on 28-29 October.
Education International research and advocacy strategy grows in context of COVID-19On 1 December, Open Society Foundations, Education International and the Global Student Forum are hosting a webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on education and the urgent need to reopen learning institutions confidently and safely.
Webinar | Teachers, Students, and Public Education in the Fight against COVID-19The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented school closures that have affected over 1.5 billion students worldwide. However, the impact of the pandemic has not been equal, with vulnerable and disadvantaged students disproportionately affected by the resulting global crisis in teaching and learning.
Today, on the 60th anniversary of the Convention that promotes the universal right to education, Education International and UNESCO published a joint message calling on governments and the international community to consider teachers and education support personnel as a priority group in COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The call came as some...
Education International and UNESCO call for educators to be considered a priority group in COVID-19 vaccinationsEducation International and UNESCO published a joint message calling on governments and the international community to consider teachers and education support personnel as a priority group in COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The call came as some countries are starting to roll out COVID-19 vaccines.