Ei-iE

A new study has revealed that 27 million children aged 5-13 are out of school in four countries -Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - in South Asia.

Strong education unions are crucial to ensure a good status for teachers and to provide quality education for all. That was reaffirmed by the Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö(OAJ) at the EDUCA Fair in Helsinki from 23-25 January. The largest education event in Finland, it was attended by 15,000 participants, 150 high level...

Quality education could play a crucial role in the African continent’s development over the next 50 years. That’s according to Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union’s Commission. Her comments were included in “an email from the future”, sent during the Ministerial retreat of the African Union’s Executive...

A South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Women’s Network Planning Meeting has been held in New Delhi, India. Three union leaders from EI affiliate All India Secondary Teachers’ Federation (AISTF) National Office, six AISTF representatives from the Indian Maharashtra State, as well as six AISTF representatives from the Indian...

The first Exploratory Meeting for the EI Philippine affiliates’ Post-Yolanda (Haiyan) Rehabilitation Initiative was held on 29 November 2013. It was attended by representatives of the EI regional Asia-Pacific office and of EI Philippine affiliates – the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), the National Alliance of Teachers and Office Workers...

The 2013/4 Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR): Teaching and Learning: Achieving Quality for All sends two clear key messages to the global community: first, an education system is only as good as its teachers, and secondly, governments have failed to deliver on their commitments to provide funding for...

EI research affiliates and GCE coalition representatives came together for a three-day Africa and MENA regional conference on “Privatisation and the Right to Education” in Johannesburg, South Africa on 16-18 January 2014.

In March 2012 the Turkish confederation KESK organised a demonstration to protest against the draft Public Services Trade Union law and against proposed changes in the education system.

EI Deputy General Secretary Haldis Holst underlines the need to combine mainstreaming of gender equality policies and expertise in gender issues within education trade unions and the teaching profession, to help achieve quality education for all. These topics and many more will be addressed during the Second EI World Women’s...

Business has an important role in helping to achieve education for all – this conviction was voiced by speakers and participants at a recent event organised by the Global Business Coalition for Education and hosted by Facebook’s London office.

Blended learning – the combination of traditional learning in classrooms and technology-mediated instruction – was under the spotlight at a dedicated panel at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting, taking place from 22-25 January in Davos, Switzerland. EI’s General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen, participated in the panel entitled ‘The future...

The results of the latest ETUCE Health and Safety project Teacher trade unions in solidarity for healthy and safe workplaces in the economic crisis were disseminated last week. ETUCE member organisations will receive USB Flash Drives to disseminate the project results among their members and affiliates.

On 1 February 2014, ETUCE will start a survey that focuses particularly on gender equality in teacher unions and in the teaching profession.

On 1 January 2014, Greece took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The key priorities of the Greek presidency on education are high quality, efficient and equitable education and training systems to enhance employability in Europe.

On 29 January 2014, a demonstration is planned to show solidarity with Spanish women and to fight for the right of abortion in Europe.

ETUCE will take part in the European trade union demonstration on 4 April 2014 organised by the European Trade Union Confederation, ETUC.

EI is relieved to learn that Mr Rong Chhun, President of the Cambodia Independent Teachers' Association (CITA) and of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU), was released a few hours after his arrest on 21 January.

A draft agreement has been signed by teachers' unions and the government’s ad hoc committee resulting in a suspension by teachers of strike action. This follows discussions on 22 and 23 January in which the trade unions negotiated a pay rise with the government which will come into effect in...