The youth delegations included a
contingent from Education International. A young Egyptian teacher spoke, saying
her union fights “for the right to education, especially for girls” and urged
the U.N. “to create laws that make going to school an obligation for all
children.”
Across the world, a call
for access matched to quality is changing the dialogue about our future
This young teacher from Egypt
spoke for many who want more than what can be tested from their education; they
want the tools to participate and succeed in building the future.
Quality education contributes to
the personal and professional development of the individual person, as well as
to social, cultural, economic, political and environmental development of
society as a whole.
The right to education is recognized
as a fundamental human right in key international legal instruments such as the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) and the Convention on the Rights of
the Child (1989). Various legal instruments under international human rights
law oblige the state as a duty-bearer to respect, protect, promote and fulfill
the right to education.
Education International (EI)
believes that quality education must be viewed multi-dimensionally in terms of
providing sufficient resources/adequate inputs, engaging in professional
processes, including teaching and learning, and achieving broad-based outcomes
which meet the diverse needs of learners and society. In that regard, quality
education is more than measurable learning outcomes. It includes, but is not
limited to numeracy and literacy. While these are important, they are not
sufficient to contribute to the full development of the individual and society.
Higher order capabilities, including problem solving, innovation and creativity
are essential and so are social and other life skills such as good citizenship.
This year on October 4th, the
eve of World Teachers Day, Education International will be launching a year of
action, an initiative for quality education in New York, and in Paris and
around the world. The purpose of the initiative is to raise awareness among
governments, inter-governmental organizations, financial institutions,
community leaders and the general public about the indomitable role quality
education plays in the development of the individual and society. It is
to also remind decision makers that education is a sine- qua- non to
development and that it must therefore be the bedrock of any post -2015 development
agenda.
The three pillars of the
initiative are:
Quality teaching
– ensured through the recruitment of high caliber candidates to teaching, high
quality initial teacher education and continuous professional development and
attractive salaries and conditions of service determined through collective
bargaining and other forms of social dialogue.
Quality tools–
appropriate curricula and inclusive teaching and learning materials and
resources, including textbooks and ICT. A quality curriculum that is flexible
and designed through an inclusive process that guarantees teachers
participation is highly desirable. ICT can be a powerful tool that can support
teaching and learning. However, ICT cannot and must not replace the teacher.
Quality environments
– healthy, safe, secure, supportive and comfortable teaching and learning
environments with appropriate facilities to support student learning and to
enable teachers to teach effectively. Learning environments must cater for the
needs of all learners, especially girls and children with disabilities.
A year of action
The initiative will run from
World Teachers Day 2013 to World Teachers Day 2014. In order to officially
launch this mobilization year, EI is organizing two main events in New York, in
the UNICEF Building, and in Paris, in the UNESCO offices, on Friday 4th
October, 2013. The official launch will consist of a press conference; a high
level event with statements from EI leaders and partner organizations; an
unveiling of EI’s campaign web portal and a Global Teachers’ Forum. EI leaders
and partners at both sites will discuss the main challenges and propose
solutions to ensure that the right to quality public education is realized in
every corner of the globe.
Following the launch of the
initiative, EI and its member organizations will continue to engage in advocacy
and dialogue about quality education with partners and national governments.
This includes the pressing need to invest in quality education and teacher
development. EI and its members will be sharing a teachers’ perspective to the
education quality and equity challenge, including the educators’ views on
Education for All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In that
regard, EI is currently carrying out EFA regional and national assessments, and
identifying the main education challenges confronted by countries around the
globe.
In May 2014, EI will convene a
Global Education Conference. The conference, which will be held in Montreal,
Canada, from 26 to 30 May 2014, will provide an opportunity for EI members and organizations
with similar aims to join forces for quality education for all.
The EI initiative will culminate
in a Day of Action on World Teachers Day 2014. On this day EI and its member organizations
around the world will call for the right to quality public education to be realized
for the benefit of every child, youth and adult. We invite all partners who
care about the education of our children to join forces with us in our call for
quality education for all.
By Fred van Leeuwen
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