Ei-iE

When Casandra Hallett stepped into the role of Deputy General Secretary of Education International, she brought with her more than three decades of experience as a teacher, union leader, internationalist, and advocate for human rights.

Describing herself as “an English teacher from Canada, a unionist, and an activist for education and for social justice”, Cassandra thrives as a collaborative leader who values human connection and solidarity.

From the Arctic to the world

Born and raised in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, Cassandra began her teaching career close to home. Yet it was her move to Nunavut, Canada's vast Arctic territory, that profoundly shaped her understanding of education, community, and unionism.

Working alongside educators in Inuit communities, she experienced first-hand both the challenges and possibilities of public education in remote and underserved regions. There, she helped organise and co-lead the creation of the first teachers' union in Nunavut, helping educators build a collective voice to advocate for their profession and their students.

A global outlook on education

Cassandra's understanding of education extends beyond Canada's borders.

As a child, she attended school in the United Kingdom. She would go on to spend many years coordinating international work at the Canadian Teachers' Federation, building relationships with education unions across continents and helping to strengthen cooperation among educators around the world. Mid-career, she also taught for three years in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, gaining valuable insights into different educational realities and strengthening her belief in the power of international solidarity.

Building solidarity between educators, unions, and their communities became a defining feature of her leadership style and remains at the heart of her work at Education International.

Breaking barriers and leading change

In 2015, Cassandra became Executive Director of the Canadian Teachers' Federation — the first woman to hold this top leadership position since the founding of the organisation in 1920. For more than eleven years, she guided the federation through a period of significant change.

David Edwards, General Secretary of Education International, believes Cassandra's record speaks for itself: "Throughout her career, Cassie has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to public education, union values, gender equality, and social justice. From teaching in diverse communities across Canada and Tanzania to building strong teacher unions and leading the Canadian Teachers' Federation, she has consistently combined strategic vision with a deep understanding of the realities facing educators."

Her experience in union governance, advocacy, international solidarity, and member engagement makes her "a tremendous asset" to the global education union movement, Edwards stresses.

Leading in challenging times

Cassandra assumed her role with Education International at a critical moment for education and trade unionism.

Across the world, education systems are grappling with teacher shortages, underfunding, increasing workloads, privatisation pressures, attacks on democracy, conflicts, and the growing impact of climate change. At the same time, new technologies such as artificial intelligence are raising important questions about the future of teaching and learning.

For Cassandra, these challenges reinforce the importance of strong education unions and international solidarity.

In her first address as EI Deputy General Secretary, she argued that education is fundamentally human and relational: "What we do cannot be automated because it's much more than information transfer. It is knowledge distilled through experience, values, solidarity, and relationships. It is care and empathy. It is wisdom in practice."

Advancing EI's priorities

As Deputy General Secretary, Cassandra, who officially joined EI in April 2026, will help lead Education International's work to strengthen unions, advance quality public education, defend the rights and status of teachers and education support personnel, and deepen solidarity across the global education movement.

She will also play a leading role in advancing gender equality in and through education and education unions.

Cassandra, who is also fluent in French, will represent the teaching profession within key international bodies, including the Board of Directors of the Global Partnership for Education and the Advisory Board of Safe to Learn.

Building power through solidarity

"It is educators organising for fair working conditions. It is the determination of teachers defending public education. It is the solidarity that connects education workers across borders, languages, and cultures. Solidarity is our DNA and our strength," Cassandra told union leaders during one of her first international engagements as EI's Deputy General Secretary.

As Education International continues its work to build powerful unions and defend the right to quality public education for every student, Cassandra Hallett brings a lifetime of experience, conviction, and collaboration to the task.

Her commitment is rooted in a simple conviction: that educators, when organised, have the power to transform societies.