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NEWS
International solidarity
The NASUWT is continuing to work with colleagues around the world to defend the human rights of teachers and support the development and growth of trade unionism internationally.
Teaching Today summarises the Union’s recent work:
The purpose of the Union’s international activity in all cases is to contribute to the following policy aims:
(i) building the capacity of teacher trades in other countries;
(ii) defending the human and trades union rights of teachers around the world;
(iii) achieving the Education Millennium Development Goals, as follows:
a. Achieve Universal Primary Education: ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling;
b. Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women: eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015.
Iraq
A training and development programme for teacher trade unionists has begun in Iraq under the guidance of the NASUWT.
Three Iraqi teacher trade unionists from the Iraqi Teachers’ Union (ITU) and Kurdish Teachers’ Union (KTU) spent over a week at NASUWT Headquarters earlier this year participating in a trade union training programme.
On their return to Iraq they began cascading the knowledge and skills they had gained by running their own training courses for teaching colleagues.
By the end of a two-year period they hope to have established training across the whole country with the aim of building a strong teacher trade union base.
The trade union movement in Iraq is still being hampered by the existence of laws created during the rule of Saddam Hussein that restrict the rights of workers to organise and control their own trade unions. Trade unionists from around the world passed a resolution calling for the repeal of the laws this summer at the second Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
South Korea
The NASUWT has written to the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to urge him to withdraw plans to dismiss 183 teachers for making private donations to a political party.
The teachers are all members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union (KTU) and have been charged with breaching the political neutrality clause that all teachers and civil servants are expected to abide by for allegedly joining the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
The action is the latest incident in a long history of intimidation and harassment meted out to teacher trade unionists by the South Korean Government.
The NASUWT has called on Mr Myungbak to reinstate the teachers and affirm that trade union rights are respected by his administration.
G20
An estimated worldwide shortage of more than ten million teachers in the next five years must be urgently tackled by world leaders, the NASUWT has urged.
The Union is working with affiliates in Education International (EI) to press the G20 to support a new global partnership for teacher education and professional development.
Ensuring the supply of a highly qualified and effectively resourced teaching workforce is key to realising the aim of universal education for all children and tackling poverty, inequality and social cohesion, the NASUWT believes.
EI is calling on the G20 to work with education unions to put proposals in place for the next G20 meeting in Seoul next month.
Further details of the Union’s international work, including updates from Iran, Zimbabwe and Burma, are available at
www.nasuwt.org.uk/international
Teachers across the world celebrated
Earlier this month the NASUWT joined hundreds of thousands of students, parents and activists around the world to celebrate World Teachers’ Day.
Held annually since 1994, the day aims to draw public attention to the role of teachers across the globe and their importance in building a better future for all children. It marks the anniversary of the signing in 1966 of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.
The impact on education of the global economic downturn, recent humanitarian disasters in Haiti and Pakistan and the ongoing persecution of teachers in many countries around the world were at the forefront of the commemorations. The NASUWT highlighted the vital role of teachers and other education personnel to social, economic and intellectual rebuilding. Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said: “It is the work of teachers and other school staff that will secure the economic recovery and play a key part in rebuilding communities devastated by natural disasters.
“To ensure that all children and young people, regardless of background, realise their potential, investing in teachers and schools must be the priority in 2010 and beyond.”
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