To the 4th World Congress of EI gathered in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from July 22nd to 26th 2004:
1. We acknowledge the worldwide increase in demands for quality and variety in secondary school teaching.
2. Considering that the constant evolution in economic, social and cultural environment on the one hand and the implementation of decentralisation policy on the other, are exerting high pressure on this teaching level. These factors indeed lead to profound changes including, in particular, the evolution of the teachers' role but also that of school principals and school leadership.
3. We are convinced that headship and training staff have to this day an essential role to play in the development of educational establishments as well as in the settlement and coordination of team work with teachers and other education staff.
4. Considering the studies and reflections led by varied international organisations such as the OECD, Council of Europe, World Bank, and UNESCO to point out the tendencies and the new challenges that secondary education faces.
We are thus asking EI to:
5. Establish a working group on the theme "Position and Role of School Principals and School Leadership in Secondary Educational Establishments" so as to develop strategies and directives along with the unions that have already undertaken considerable work in this field ;
6. Reinforce collaboration with intergovernmental organisations so as to promote the condition of the staff concerned with the debates on the evolution of secondary school teaching.