Ei-iE

Trade unionists joined 10,000 equality campaigners from across Europe at the Europride in Warsaw, Poland. This was the first event of its kind in a post-communist country, and the largest European celebration of LGBT rights.

The EI Early Childhood Education (ECE) Task Force has released a global study investigating ECE policies, systems, programmes and activities across the world.

Education was a significant talking point during the BBC World Debate broadcast last week from the OECD in Paris. The question put by presenter Nik Gowing was whether migration should be seen not as taking scarce jobs but rather as a source of scarce skills.

A survey carried out by the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) has discovered that in the 2008-09 school year each Canadian teacher paid out from their own pocket an average of $453 for essential classroom materials or class-related activities.

Marking the release by the OECD of two major reports on Employment and Migration, BBC presenter Nik Gowing put the question “Is migration the answer?”

EI affiliate in Kenya, the Kenyan National Union of Teachers (KNUT), urged “the government to declare the shortage of teachers a national disaster,” reported the national newspaper Daily Nation.

As part of its ongoing project with the European Students’ Union (ESU), EI organised a training seminar on student-centered learning (SCL) recently from 1-4 July in Sliema, Malta.

The Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) have drafted a joint evaluation on the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting.

Education international and the European Trade Union Committee for Education were represented at the European Social Forum (ESF) and presented the EI/ETUCE work on various topics.

At the Global Education Summit, sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA), education union delegates from around the world joined by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel and Vice-President Lily Eskelsen to discuss efforts to improve public education.

More than 9,000 delegates have gathered in New Orleans, USA, for the Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly of the National Education Association (NEA) - one of EI's largest affiliate members in America.

All of the EI regional coordinators were in Brussels this week for the now annual get together with their counterparts in Head Office.

A long planned programme for training and development of teacher trade unionism in Iraq has begun under the expert guidance of NASUWT, an EI affiliate in Britain.

An EI mission visited Georgia on 22-23 June 2010 with the aim of encouraging the Government to refrain from harassing EFSTUG, the EI member organization in Georgia, and to enter into collective bargaining as recommended by the ILO.

Responding to a joint International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)/Education International (EI) letter to Catherine Ashton, the High Representative /Vice President of the European Commission, the European organisation reiterates its support to trade unionists in Iran.

The International Secretary of the General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPTs), Hazem Nasri Qumsieh, has died at the age of 55.

The 2nd ITUC World Congress, taking place in Vancouver from 21–25 June, has closed with a firm resolve to struggle for the attainment of quality public services and education for all, as a key part of the strategy to exit the global economic crisis.

The presidents of Education International and the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) have called on the G20 to support a new global partnership for teacher education and professional development.