On Friday 3 October, Education International Latin America (EILA) commemorated World Teachers’ Day (WTD) with the participation of representatives from Peru, Costa Rica, Argentina, Colombia, Honduras, Ecuador and Paraguay.
The celebration was held within the framework of the International Pedagogical Conference, jointly organised by EILA, Peruvian education union SUTEP and Derrama Magisterial [a social security institution belonging to public sector teachers], as part of the actions aimed at strengthening the Latin American Pedagogical Movement (LAPM).
The need to build stronger social dialogue with teachers in Latin America and to strengthen their unions was emphasised during the WTD event.
The slogan “Valuing teacher voices: towards a new social contract for education” was reflected at the meeting in Cusco, where participants discussed the need for trade unions to develop their own alternative pedagogical proposal, at the same time as fighting for decent pay and better working conditions.
EI’s global Go Public! Fund Education campaign and the Recommendations of the UN High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession were also highlighted.
Sonia Alesso, president of EILA said: “Here in Cusco, Peru, Latin American teachers undertake to keep up the struggle for education funding, for the dignity of the teaching profession and international solidarity.”