Page 11
International
Bridging the gap
The NUT played a key role in the Teachers’ Forum, held during the 18th conference of Commonwealth education ministers (18CCEM) in Mauritius this August.
The conference recognised the need to reach the Millennium Development Goals, including universal primary education, by 2015. This was refl ected in its title, ‘Bridging the gap as we accelerate towards achieving internationally agreed goals’.
The forum aimed to give teachers a voice to infl uence education ministers and was organised by the Government of Mauritius and the Commonwealth Teachers’ Group, of which NUT General Secretary Christine Blower is convenor. The NUT was also represented by President Marilyn Harrop.
Opening the forum VK Bunwaree, Mauritian Minister of Education and Human Resources, emphasised the value of education to the global economy.
Other speakers focused on the role of quality education in advancing and connecting societies, teacher migration, and the impact of privatisation on education.
Delegates heard from Shaharazad Abuel-Ealeh, of the Global Campaign for Education, about the 2013 campaign to increase teacher recruitment by 2 million to reach the number needed to teach the 67 million children still out of school.
Following discussions, delegates prepared a statement to present to ministers. This called for schools to have access to ICT across the Commonwealth.
Teachers also called on the Commonwealth to strengthen the role of education in its work rather than diminish it, as is currently being considered.
The 18CCEM also provided an opportunity to present the Commonwealth Education Good Practice Awards, including the Steve Sinnott Award for Commonwealth Teachers. This went to a project based in Mozambique, ‘Teachers of the future’, which had brought modern teaching to rural schools and emphasised the use of local resources.
The full text of the Teachers’ Forum statement can be found at
www.teachers.org.uk/node/16657
Standing up for teachers
The NUT marked World Teachers’ Day on 3 October with a reception at its London headquarters. This year’s theme was ‘standing up for teachers’ in celebration and support of teachers in their efforts to transform the lives of learners at all levels of education. Speakers included Owain James from the Global Campaign for Education and Purna Shrestha from VSO International.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52