EI Education International is the voice for the education sector worldwide

Introduction Education International represents nearly 30 million teachers and education workers. 394 member organisations operate in 171 countries, from pre-school to university. As the world’s largest Global Union Federation, and the only one representing education workers in every corner of the globe, Education International unites all teachers and education workers no matter where they are.

Partners The Education International is associated with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), work closely with the other Global Union Federations (GUFs) and participate in the Council of Global Unions. It is open to partnership and links with UNESCO programmes, ILO, UNICEF, WHO and World Bank

United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation Mr Kächiro Matsuura International Year of Languages United Nations Literacy Decade Early Childhood Education Primary Education HIV/Aids Education Education For All – UNESCO’s top priority Teachers’ Education, Secondary, Technical Science Education Higher Education

International Labour Organisation Mr Juan Somavia Cooperation against child labour International Day of Disabled People Decent Work and Millennium Development Goals Topics: gender issues, international migration, labour law, occupational safety and health and workers’ rights

The World Bank Education reform in the Middle East and North Africa ( M. Rutkowski) The Second Education Quality Improvement Program ( Afghanistan) The Afghanistan Skill Development Project Workshops (on gender in Kazakhstan), e-learning (Russian language), New Opportunities for Children at Risk (Ethiopia), Communication technology for education leaders ( Korea) regional workshops on Teachers’ matters (Africa)

International Trade Union Confederation Mr Guy Ryder Decent Work, Decent Life – campaign Fair Play at the Olympics Global Call to Action Against Poverty HIV/AIDS Child labour Young Workers

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Mr Angel Gurria PISA Fair and Infusive Education Thematic review on migrant education Dr Barbara Ischinger – Director of the OECD Directorate for Education

Early Child Education Children at special needs and children at risk Respect for and understanding different cultures (e.g. ingenious people) PISA results Well-educated teachers- teaching methods Promote ECE, monitor the rise of private sector Exchange information Education for All

Child Labour Prevention and Monitoring International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour Global Task Force on Child Labour and EFA 200mln children are forced to work 80mln- are not attending school AIDS orphans, girls drop out, ethnic and minority groups

Education For All The Declaration of Dakar, calling for Education for All (EFA) by the year 2015, requires a great global effort joining the forces of all governments, the civil Society including non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and education unions, and intergovernmental agencies including the UN with its specialised agencies and programs. Governments should implement the recommendation of the Delors Commission to allocate at least 6% of their GNP to education Global Action Week 21st to 26th of April

HIV/AIDS Prevention Since 1994, Education International (EI) works in close cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the field of health education and more specifically on HIV/AIDS prevention. This partnership led to the launch in 2001 of the EI/WHO/EDC Teachers Training Programme on HIV/AIDS prevention in schools The main objective of the national projects run by the EI teachers’ unions affiliates is to provide teachers with the skills necessary to prevent HIV infection for themselves, their colleagues and students. The programme also enables teachers to advocate for the role of schools in preventing HIV infection and to raise awareness on a number of HIV related issues including ARV therapy, voluntary testing, stigma and discrimination etc. The main goal of the programme is to have in each school of the countries involved, a trained teacher with valuable expertise in HIV/AIDS.

LGBT - Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (1975) In 1998, the EI World Congress passed a resolution on the "Protection of the rights of lesbian and gay education personnel". The resolution required the application and evaluation of GLBT rights among member organizations. Within the context of its policy on Equality, the Committee on Equality within the EI Pan European Structure put the defence of LGBT rights on its agenda since Since 2004, EI and the Public Services International (PSI) set up an EI-PSI LGBT Forum (made up of representatives from affiliates of the two organizations), which serves as consultative body to the Executive Boards of both EI and PSI.

Teachers’ Education 18 mil qualified teachers needed Build teachers’ self – esteem, social respect Trainings (including union work- young teachers) Provide social security, decent working conditions Global Labour University Research Institute

AFRICA Africa is a huge region where EI’s affiliated member organisations function in difficult conditions and environments, and in countries, which account for the bulk of out-of-school children. The realisation of the Education For All UN Millennium Development Goal and the halting of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Kenyan teachers respond to crisis The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called on government to open salary negotiations for its members for 2008 pending the implementation of the proposed single spine salary structure. Ethiopia: EI deplores judicial dissolution of the ETA Government in Zimbabwe has moved to stave off another crippling strike by awarding teachers an immediate 1000 percent pay rise.

ASIA-PACIFIC REGION The Asia-Pacific region is EI’s largest in geographical terms. Due to the sheer scale of the region, the issues that EI is dealing with differ in diverse cultural, social and economic contexts. For example, in South Asia EI deals with the dual problem of child illiteracy and child labour, and with the problem of gender equity and HIV/AIDS. Australia- On 13 February, newly-elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd rose in the Parliament and apologised in an emotional and magnificent speech to all Aborigines for past laws and policies that "inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss."

Latin America IE covers 32 affiliated organizations in 18 countries in Latin America. Latin America is the most homogeneous region as far as linguistic terms is concerned. Also the problems felt in each of the countries in Latin America are similar, with similar characteristics, as for example the strong violation of the human and unionist rights, discrimination for gender and sexual orientation as well as the prevalent situation among autonomous indigenous peoples. Equality with a gender perspective in Latin America Dominicana -Union movement wants general increase of salaries and addressed this request to President Leonel Fernandez CNTE: The fight actions led by CNTE will start earlier in The Program for Union Training Guatemla: negotiations to avoid employees/servants stop working Perú: Alan Garcia, president of the republic, became a teachers’ enemy. This year will be labelled as the “Black Year of the Education” Argentina – CTERA and SUTEBA claim for better salaries

The World,sometimes, is put upside down, but We (Teachers) must try to change it!