Ei-iE

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

  1. Worlds of Education 19 December 2017

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #8: "Unions do contribute to quality education. An example from the Gambia", by Marie Antoinette Corr

    Marie Antoinette Corr

    The World Development Report 2018 recognises, although briefly, that poor working conditions for teachers can undermine learning (p.138). It argues that the status of the teaching profession has declined over the last few decades, and that as a result, “teachers deserve more from the systems that employ them” (p.138).

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #8: "Unions do contribute to quality education. An example from the Gambia", by Marie Antoinette Corr
  2. Worlds of Education 15 December 2017

    The new compact on domestic financing for education

    David Archer

    The replenishment events of major global funds tend to be donor-dominated affairs, but on 2nd February 2018 the replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) promises to be different. For the first time ever a replenishment conference will take place in Africa – hosted by Senegal – and on...

    The new compact on domestic financing for education
  3. Worlds of Education 12 December 2017

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #7: “The Gender Dimension in the World Bank’s Perception”, by Nelly Stromquist

    Nelly P. Stromquist

    With the production of a World Development Report focused on education, the World Bank makes a decisive claim to its authority in education policy. Given an introductory section acknowledging 119 “researchers and specialists across the world” who provided “feedback and suggestions” for the report (WDR 2018 hereafter), it would seem...

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #7: “The Gender Dimension in the World Bank’s Perception”, by Nelly Stromquist
  4. Worlds of Education 5 December 2017

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #6: “A sceptic’s review” by Prachi Srivastava

    Prachi Srivastava

    When the World Bank announced that the 2018 World Development Report (WDR) would be on education, I was sceptical. I’m not denying the Bank’s research expertise. It devotes substantial money and staff and has a trove of reports that are accessible in the public domain. It’s also open to criticism...

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #6: “A sceptic’s review” by Prachi Srivastava
  6. Worlds of Education 21 November 2017

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #4: Realizing education’s promise: teachers are the solution, not the problem.

    Howard Stevenson

    The World Bank’s 2018 world development report, with its focus on education and the need ‘to realize education’s promise’, is a welcome, if perhaps surprising, step forward. The report scores highly on intent, but it must work with teachers, not against them, if the report’s ambitions are to become a...

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #4: Realizing education’s promise: teachers are the solution, not the problem.
  7. Worlds of Education 16 November 2017

    Engaging our students in conversations about the consequences of disengaging from global institutions: lessons on US withdrawal from UNESCO.

    Fernando M. Reimers

    Educating students to be engaged democratic citizens requires that they learn to engage with current affairs in schools. Engaging students with real world issues is also a way to get students to become more motivated with their studies and, over the long term, to be more effective professionally and more...

    Engaging our students in conversations about the consequences of disengaging from global institutions: lessons on US withdrawal from UNESCO.
  8. Worlds of Education 14 November 2017

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #3: Say No to for profit experiments in education: support Public education

    Juliet Wajega

    The World Development Report (WDR) 2018 - Learning to realize Education’s Promise - places learning at the center to equip children and youth for the future. The report recognizes the key role teachers play in achievement of quality education.

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #3: Say No to for profit experiments in education: support Public education
  9. Worlds of Education 7 November 2017

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #2: Teacher working conditions are student learning conditions: Lost opportunities in World Bank education report

    Leo Baunach

    The dedicated reader of the 2018 World Development Report (WDR) on learning and education will find moments of nuanced discussion. Unfortunately, these gems are brief caveats to flawed headlines and conclusions. The World Bank report valorizes professional teaching while degrading the voices and needs of teachers.

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #2: Teacher working conditions are student learning conditions: Lost opportunities in World Bank education report
  10. Worlds of Education 1 November 2017

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #1: A Guide to Reading the Rhetoric

    Francine Menashy

    The 2018 World Development Report marks an important milestone—for the first time in 40 years the World Bank’s dominant research publication is dedicated to education.

    #WDR2018 Reality Check #1: A Guide to Reading the Rhetoric
  12. News 12 October 2017

    Education International’s Asia-Pacific leaders gather to tackle regional challenges

    Asia-Pacific education union leaders reiterated their commitment to quality education for all, working towards countering for-profit education privatisation, increasing  teacher professionalism and demanding respect for educators’ human and trade union rights.

    Education International’s Asia-Pacific leaders gather to tackle regional challenges
  13. Research

    Practices, challenges and future prospects in the recruitment and training of teachers in Ethiopia

    Dr. Eric Daniel Ananga and Dr. Emmanuel M. J. Tamanja
    14 September 2017

    The study assesses the current practices, future prospects and challenges in the recruitment, selection, and training of the first cycle primary school teachers’ training policy of Ethiopia and puts forward policy recommendations.

    Practices, challenges and future prospects in the recruitment and training of teachers in Ethiopia
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  14. News 12 July 2017

    France: Unions criticise plans for sick leave waiting period in public sector

    EI-affiliated trade union groups in France have strongly criticised the French government's intention to reinstate a waiting day for public service employees in case of sick leave, describing the measure as “ineffective” and “unfair”.

    France: Unions criticise plans for sick leave waiting period in public sector
  16. Worlds of Education 1 June 2017

    Teacher union renewal: developing the power of the profession

    Howard Stevenson

    The challenges that face teachers often look very similar around the world. Global league tables are often behind the relentless pressure to drive test scores up, whilst the forces of global economic competition explain a race to the bottom on teachers’ working conditions. Teachers experience ever rising workloads, but perhaps...

    Teacher union renewal: developing the power of the profession
  17. Worlds of Education 31 May 2017

    Constructing Teachers’ Professional Identity – learning from seven countries

    Philippa Cordingley

    Early stages in research projects are always a mix of aspirations, exploration of the research literature and growing clarity about key questions. In a research project that is as important as the one funded by Education International, to explore how national policies and cultural factors influence the development of teachers’...

    Constructing Teachers’ Professional Identity – learning from seven countries
  18. News 31 May 2017

    Education unions forge a pathway from research to advocacy

    With an aim to research, refine, and resist, teachers’ unions are reinforcing their leading role at the cutting edge of research methods and practices at the 13th annual Education International Research Network meeting.

    Education unions forge a pathway from research to advocacy