At its meeting this week in Brussels, the Executive Board of Education International accepted the resignation of two of its members, Yasuo Morikoshi (Nikkyoso/Japan) and Marilies Rettig (Canadian Teachers' Federation/Canada) and thanked them for their active and valuable engagement in EI's work. In their place, the Board appointed Yuzuru Nakamura (Nikkyoso President) and Emily Noble (CTF President).
Progress Report
Following a discussion on the progress report the Executive Board decided that EI should examine possible implications of the international financial crisis on teachers and the education sector. The Board also examined the various EI programs currently being carried out, paying particular attention to development programs for education unions in the countries of Central Asia and the Middle East, teacher education programs to help unqualified teachers and para-professionals in low income countries become certified teachers, and the work done by the taskforce on public private partnerships.
The Board adopted a statement on the killing of nine students in a school in Finland on 25th September. Conveying its condolences to the families and colleagues of the victims, the Board condemned all violence in schools, which it said should be safe and secure havens for students and teachers. The Executive Board also called on the Finnish authorities to take concrete steps to ensure that such violence may never again occur in schools and on the intergovernmental agencies to address the protection from violence of students and teachers in schools.
Programme and Budget 2009
The Executive Board adopted the 2007 annual report and finalized the program and budget for 2009 within the parameters set by the 5th World Congress held in Berlin July 2007. It also approved some new initiatives including the convening of an international conference on privatization of education services to be held in London in the first half of 2009.
World Congress in 2011
Cape Town, South Africa was selected as a possible site for the 6th World Congress of Education International to be held in July 2011, pending detailed negotiations with the convention centre and hotels, the General Secretary was mandated to finalise an agreement and announce formally the Congress venue in the coming months.
Education under attack
Following the presentation of a global study on political and military violence against teachers and students by Mr. Brendan O’Malley, the Executive Board affirmed its support for the concept of schools being recognized universally as safe sanctuaries and its commitment to advocate actively this concept in the international community.
Education in the South Pacific Area
Regional coordinator Govind Singh presented a report on the education and trade union situation in the South Pacific where Education International has 19 member organisations in 10 countries. The Board endorsed the development programs strengthening the work of member unions in that sub-region especially where it concerns promoting the involvement of women in trade union leaderhip.
Member organisations in the Islamic countries
In order to better support member organisations in the Islamic countries in addressing trade union and professional challenges, the Executive Board mandated the General Secretary to work towards the establishment of a special group for member unions in those countries. The group would assemble under the EI banner, make recommendations to the Executive Board on relevant policy and relevant programs and represent EI member unions at the international Islamic institutions.
Executive Board Committees
On the recommendation of the Status of Women Committee, it was decided that the World Conference on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in March, 2010. The Executive Board also approved some (technical) recommendations of the Constitution and By-laws Committee2 on procedures to be followed concerning amendments to Congress resolutions.
The Board accepted the recommendations of the Finance Committee with regard to the 2007 Financial Reports, the preliminary financial report for the first seven months of 2008 and other financial matters.
Membership
Eight organizations were accepted as new members of Education International, namely:
- CONADU/Argentina
- DAÜ-SEN/Cyprus
- SNESUp-FSU/France
- CNEC/Ivory Coast
- GUWT/Jordan
- KNUPST/Kenya
- KUPPET/Kenya
- PTUZ/Zimbabwe
FSM-AFO-FISEMA/Madagascar, NTOP/Pakistan and FENATEP/Panama were denied membership. An application received from FSTECDCSA/Angola was referred to the Committee of Experts on Membership for further investigation.
Third Deputy General Secretary
The Board decided to create a third position of Deputy General Secretary. In anticipation of appointing a candidate to the position in the course of 2009, the Board decided that, until that time, this position would be filled by Monique Fouilhoux, currently EI senior coordinator.
Office Premises
The Board approved a possible move of the EI Headquarters to another location in Brussels, as well as the relocation of the African regional office from Lome to Accra.
Other issues
Among the many other issues addressed by the Executive Board were the agenda and programme of the conference for member organisations in the OECD in Sweden, December 2008; a memorandum of understanding between EI and Public Services International, reinforcing the cooperation between the two global union federations; the development of a program on the investment of public employees pension funds; and the engagement of EI in a partnership promoting mutual insurance schemes for teachers.
Documentation
For more information on the issues addressed by the Executive Board, please click on the following links to download related documents.