Ei-iE

During a powerful career spanning over 40 years, Haldis Holst has persistently advocated for the fundamental right to education and the rights of educators in her native Norway and all around the world. The Education International (EI) leader steps down from an organisation and a movement she has helped strengthen and drive forward.

From local beginnings to the top of the global education union movement

Holst majored in English and Physical Education and graduated as a teacher in 1983. She began her career in a small fishing village in the north of Norway, working as a teacher in primary and secondary education. She soon got involved in her union, becoming a union representative and rising through the ranks to leadership positions in the Union of Education Norway.

She went on to represent Norwegian teachers at the European Trade Union Committee for Education, then on the Education International Executive Board. Holst was Vice-President of EI from 2009 to 2012, then joining the EI Secretariat as Deputy General Secretary.

Holst has served on the boards of several important organisations and initiatives, including the Board of Directors of the Global Partnership for Education, the Board of the Global Campaign Against Child Labour, the Governing Board of The European Wergeland Centre, and the Education 2030 Steering Committee.

A feminist role model and equity champion

Holst has broken glass ceilings and inspired countless women in Norway and around the world to step into leadership in their schools and their unions. Throughout her career, she promoted gender equality in all its forms, from girls’ access to education to women being given the opportunity to lead in their schools, their unions, and societies at large.

Leading EI’s equity work, Holst relentlessly pushed for social justice and equity everywhere and for everyone, especially the most vulnerable.

Guided by her vast experience and determination, Holst mentored young unionists and promoted a culture of persistent activism in the organisation, encouraging unionists to never lose heart and to keep pushing forward.

“Inevitably, words will fail to do justice to the decades of tireless work Haldis has dedicated to teachers and students, to unionists and activists, to social justice in Norway and around the world. She leaves us with many victories, a lot of progress, and a great deal of wisdom. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank Haldis for her leadership, for her passion and compassion. Our movement as a whole owes her a great debt of gratitude”, stated David Edwards, Education International General Secretary.