The EI Executive Board met in Brussels from 19-20 November to discuss and formulate working plans on the mandates it has received from the EI World Congress held earlier in July in Berlin.
The Board adopted several plans to extend EI's assistance to education workers around the world. This includes a large scale project to assist in the democratic development and union capacity building of teacher unions in the Middle East and Central Asia.
The Board also discussed the issue of teacher unions in China and a seminar on the central role of trade unions to democracy will be held in Hong Kong in early 2008.
In the area of equality, the Board decided that a World Conference on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women will be held in 2009 to allow member organisations to examine the progress made and current obstacles in gender equality. An ad-hoc committee will be established to examine the issue of indigenous education worldwide.
Several taskforces will be formed to look at the various issues raised during the Congress, such as Early Childhood Education, Public-Private Partnership, and China.
All EI member organisations will soon receive a detailed outline of the Board's decision.
For further information, please contact us at headoffice@ei-ie.org