Leading the profession

Teachers and education support personnel know what works in education. They must be recognised and empowered to deliver on the promise of quality education for all.

At the classroom level, academic freedom and professional autonomy are prerequisites for quality teaching and learning. As professionals, teachers must be afforded the space and trust to make the best possible decisions for their students.

Beyond the classroom, education policy must be informed by the vast experience and insights only education professionals can provide. We advocate for the involvement of teachers, education support personnel and their representative organisations in all decision-making in education and work towards the expansion of sectoral policy dialogue at all levels and in all countries.

Our work in this area

News 15 March 2011
Research is 'key tool to substantiate our claims'

The General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen, has told participants who gathered at the seventh EI Research Network meeting, to press on because “without research or data on a raft of indicators, it is virtually impossible to achieve our objectives.”
Research is 'key tool to substantiate our claims'
News 8 March 2011
Education researchers gather to ‘measure what we value’

Participants have gathered at the EI Research Network meeting to discuss the global threats to unions from the reduction in public expenditure on education and privatisation, to testing and ranking systems that only tell part of the story.
Education researchers gather to ‘measure what we value’
News 16 December 2010
Council of Pacific Education adopts Code of Ethics

Teachers are committed to the highest standards of professional service towards their students. Based on this certainty, the Council of Pacific Education (COPE) has adopted a Code of Ethics.
Council of Pacific Education adopts Code of Ethics
16 July 2010
Jobs, Migration and Education

Education was a significant talking point during the BBC World Debate broadcast last week from the OECD in Paris.
Jobs, Migration and Education
12 July 2010
Presentation by Bob Harris to the CTF/FCE President’s Forum, Edmonton, Canada, 12 July 2010.

Under the heading “Forces for Change: Education Finance,” the presentation given by Bob Harris, Senior Consultant to the EI General Secretary sets out the profiles of the crisis in 5 phases:
Presentation by Bob Harris to the CTF/FCE President’s Forum, Edmonton, Canada, 12 July 2010.
2 July 2010
G8 and G20 Meetings Fail To Deliver On Education

The G8 and G20 meetings held last week in Muskoka and Toronto, Canada, were marked by political division and a lack of decisions. Significantly, while world leaders had earlier identified education and training as an important element of post-crisis recovery, they did not manage to take the necessary steps forward.
G8 and G20 Meetings Fail To Deliver On Education
News 21 June 2010
Research helps raise teacher unions’ profile

Over two intensive days, 34 participants from 15 countries took part in the sixth Annual Research Network meeting with keynote speakers from the UK and Japan.
Research helps raise teacher unions’ profile
19 May 2010
Unions worldwide call for the implementation of a global Financial Transaction Tax

Ahead of the informal meeting of the vice Finance Ministers and deputy Central Bankers of the Group of 20 nations convening today in Berlin, trade unionists and other activists around the world launched the "Make Finance Pay Week" on Monday calling for the implementation of a global tax on financial...
Unions worldwide call for the implementation of a global Financial Transaction Tax
7 May 2010
Taking the case for education funding to Finance Ministers

EI took an active part in a TUAC delegation which met on Tuesday in Rome with the Italian Finance Minister, Giulio Tremonti, who will chair the OECD Ministerial Council later this month.
Taking the case for education funding to Finance Ministers
22 April 2010
G20 Labour Ministers meet Obama – education and training on the G20 agenda

G20 labour and employment ministers met yesterday with President Obama and presented him with their recommendations to meet the challenges that the economic crisis is posing for workers and their families worldwide. This was the first time that ministers responsible for labour markets in the 20 largest economies in the...
G20 Labour Ministers meet Obama – education and training on the G20 agenda
News 22 April 2010
G20 Labour Ministers meet Obama – education and training on the G20 agenda

G20 labour and employment ministers met yesterday with President Obama and presented him with their recommendations to meet the challenges that the economic crisis is posing for workers and their families worldwide. This was the first time that ministers responsible for labour markets in the 20 largest economies in the...
G20 Labour Ministers meet Obama – education and training on the G20 agenda
Research
Learning how to teach - The upgrading of unqualified primary teachers in sub-Saharan Africa

Herman Kruijer
21 April 2010

In many developing countries, the increased enrolment of pupils in recent years has not been met by an increase in qualified teachers. Rather, to meet rapid expansions of student populations, large numbers of un- and under-qualified teachers have been recruited in recent years by governments in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Learning how to teach - The upgrading of unqualified primary teachers in sub-Saharan Africa
1. Download
20 April 2010
Globalization and speculation

The global economy has taken a "double whammy", first the financial crisis, now the disruption of global air travel by the volcanic cloud across Europe...
Globalization and speculation
29 March 2010
Despite difficulties, teachers do their very best for migrant pupils

All around the world, vast numbers of human beings are on the move – fleeing war zones, escaping injustice or seeking better life chances for themselves and their children. Global migration flows have increased for many reasons. Since the 1960s, the number of immigrants has more than tripled in OECD...
Despite difficulties, teachers do their very best for migrant pupils
News 12 March 2010
UK: EI member organisations react to report on racism in schools

Two EI member organisations reacted to the Maurice Smith Review released today, which recommends that "teachers in England should not be banned from membership of the British National Party (BNP) or any group which may promote racism".
UK: EI member organisations react to report on racism in schools
5 February 2010
Education resources and taxation - a political strategy

As governmnents cut public budgets to reduce their deficits post-crisis, how can we show voters where to find the resources for education in a global economy...?
Education resources and taxation - a political strategy
2 February 2010
Reforming funding for EFA

The world is not on track to achieve universal primary education by 2015 ... 72 million children are still not in school ... and there is a funding gap of 16 billion USD ... read more
Reforming funding for EFA
22 December 2009
Education unions fighting the economic crisis: It’s time for a global and local strategy!

Whatever good or bad news we may hear about the crisis in the media, education is still suffering from measures taken since the onset of the global financial and economic crisis. This has an impact on teachers and education unions at all levels of education.
Education unions fighting the economic crisis: It’s time for a global and local strategy!