Principal Aims

Education International’s principal aims are:

to further the cause of organisations of teachers and education employees;
to promote peace, democracy, social justice and equality through the development of education and the collective strength of teachers and education employees;
to seek and maintain recognition of the trade union rights of workers in general and of teachers and education employees in particular;
to enhance the conditions of work and terms of employment of teachers and education employees, and to promote their professional status in general, through support for member organisations;
to support and promote the professional freedoms of teachers and education employees and the right of their organisations to participate in the formulation and implementation of educational policies;
to promote the right to education for all persons in the world, without discrimination through the establishment and protection of open, publicly funded and controlled educational systems, and academic and cultural institutions, aimed at democratic, social, cultural and economic development and the preparation of every citizen for active and responsible participation in society;
to promote the political, social and economic conditions that are required for the realisation of the right to education in all nations;
to foster a concept of education directed towards international understanding, tolerance, and good will, the safeguarding of peace and freedom, and respect for human dignity;
to combat all forms of racism and of bias or discrimination in education and society due to gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, religion, political opinion, social or economic status or national or ethnic origin;
to give particular attention to developing the leadership role and involvement of women in society
to build solidarity and mutual cooperation among member organisations;
to encourage through their organisations closer relationships among teachers and education employees in all countries and at all levels of education;
to promote and to assist in the development of independent and democratic organisations of teachers and education employees, particularly in those countries where political, social, economic or other conditions impede the application of their human and trade union rights, the advancement of their terms and working conditions and the improvement of educational services;
to promote unity among all independent and democratic trade unions within the educational sector and united action and cooperation with independent trade unions in other sectors;
and thereby contribute to the further development of the international trade union movement.