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Education International
Education International

ILO Body approves Teachers Status report

published 23 March 2007 updated 23 March 2007

This week, at its meeting in Geneva, the ILO Governing Body’s Committee on Sectoral and Technical Meetings (STM) approved the Report submitted by the Joint ILO-UNESCO Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendations concerning Teaching Personnel (CEART).

The ILO Workers' Group spokesperson Jerry Zellhoefer said the report contained comprehensive recommendations that really cover the range of issues that affect teachers. Working with independence and objectivity, the Experts concluded that "from pre-school to university, the status of teachers, of educators, had declined".

Speaking for EI, Bob Harris said that over the years CEART had established a well-deserved reputation for the quality of its reports. "The latest report is outstanding," he said, "for it encapsulates in succinct and penetrating fashion the main issues confronting teachers in our countries today".

EI urged all delegates to read it and to take the recommendations seriously.

Several governments and employer representatives intervened to underline the importance of the report. The STM's recommendation for ILO action will be formally endorsed by the ILO Governing Body next week.

In April, the same report will be submitted to the UNESCO Executive Board. Thereafter, it will be available for widespread publication and EI will work with affiliates to press strongly for implementation of its recommendations.

EI presented an important submission to the Experts, and took part in a consultation with them during the Committee’s session in on World Teachers' Day, 5 October 2006.

Click on the link below for EI's contribution.