Ei-iE

The Syndicat national des enseignements de second degré (SNES-FSU) and the Syndicat des enseignants (SE-UNSA) affiliated to the Union nationale des syndicats autonomes-Education (UNSA-Education) welcomed Education Minister Vincent Peillon’s announcement that 10,000 additional staff are to be taken on “specifically for secondary schools” under subsidised contracts on top of the...

On 28 June, the Australian Education Union (AEU), EI’s largest Australian affiliate, called on all political leaders to act in a spirit of bipartisanship and finalise agreements on the implementation of the Gonski Report on investment in education within the next two weeks.

The Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF), one of EI’s national affiliates, has welcomed the fact that the Conservative-dominated Senate has blocked Bill C-377. This Bill aimed to force unions to disclose all payments worth C$5,000 or more being made to outside groups or individuals. It also sought to force unions to...

EI deplores the reductions in governments’ expenditure on education and cuts in teachers’ salaries and increases in their working time which are reflected in the latest OECD statistics published today.

Since June 12, Brazil has seen numerous protests, mostly organised by young people, which began after the announcement of an increase in the price of public transportation in cities across the country. However, the scope of the demonstrations shows that public transportation is just one of the protesters’ concerns.

Government leaders came together this week at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland to make progress on issues such as trade agreements, tax systems, and transparency. Yet, despite reiterated commitments to reducing poverty and promoting growth and jobs as top priorities, EI deplores that education´s core role in tackling these...

Thousands of Portuguese teachers held a protest against the government’s new policies for public schools on 15 June in Lisbon. This demonstration is part of the industrial action plan proposed by all teacher unions against the government’s decision to cut spending in the education sector.

EI has called on its affiliates and all concerned citizens to take action for tax justice by signing a statement from the Global Alliance for Tax Justice (GATJ). EI believes that there is an increasing appreciation that tax avoidance by big corporations undermines public spending and equality in both developed...

EI’s national affiliate, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), has called on members to go on strike as of 1 June, due to the non-payment of a negotiated pay increase. Teachers are due a 27.5 per cent salary increase (Teachers’ Peculiar Allowance) and a minimum wage of 18,000 Nigerian Naira...

The EI’s affiliate, the Central de Trabajadores de la Educación de la República Argentina (CTERA), has condemned threats by the provincial government against the leader of the Sindicato Unificado de Trabajadores de la Educación de Buenos Aires (SUTEBA).

EI has welcomed the announcement by Rwanda’s national Education Minister, Vincent Biruta, that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) will again be allocated a considerable part of the Ministry’s budget. This is due to TVET’s acknowledged capacity to promote skills development and bridge existing skills gaps in the labour...

Last week, Chicago announced the closure of 50 public schools, the majority of them on the South and West sides of the city, in the poorer neighbourhoods. The closures represent about eight per cent of the 681 public schools in Chicago, the third-largest school district in the country.

EI is calling on educators, students, parents and communities to contribute to The Global Thematic Consultation on Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The deadline for online contributions by members of the public to the draft Executive Summary of the Global Consultation on Education is 27 May. This is a...

EI has strongly condemned attacks on Nigerian schools, teachers and students that have kept 15,000 children away from school since last February. News of the attacks by Boko Haram (BH) extremists came from IRIN, the news service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The attacks on...

In early May, the All India Primary Teachers' Federation (AIPTF), one of EI’s national affiliates, organised a picket in front of the Indian parliament in New Delhi to raise awareness amongst the public about the need and importance of quality education for all.

EI and its European organisation, the ETUCE, have expressed solidarity with Greek teachers and their union in their call to maintain their right to strike. EI General Secretary Fred Van Leeuwen has formally asked the Greek Prime Minister Samaras to uphold the civil rights of teachers in the interests of...

The Syndicat National de l’Education et de la Culture UNTM (SNEC-UNTM), EI’s affiliate in Mali, organised a very successful national workshop on combating child labour from 14 to 26 April in Bamako.

As the International Workers’ Day (May Day) was celebrated worldwide on 1 May, the Secretary General of Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), an EI affiliate, was under house arrest. Six policemen guarded his house without any warrant or court order.