Brazilian President Lula da Silva of the Workers Party and a former Metalworkers’ Union official opened the Congress. He spoke of how debt finance through the World Bank and International Monetary Fund must be challenged.

Teachers band together to make change

Newly-elected Education International President Thulas Nxesi issued a challenge at the close of the organisation's 4th World Congress.

Angelo Gavrielatos and Rob Durbridge report.

South African Thulas Nxesi said: "We have truly analysed the world -- the point now is to change it."

The Congress of the global union of educators, Education International, took place July 21 to 26 in Porto Alegre in Brazil.

More than 1400 delegates representing more than 29 million educators from more than 150 countries and 300 organisations attended the Congress.

Congress is the supreme governing authority of Education International, determining the policies, principles of action and programs of the organisation. Federation is affiliated to Education International through membership of the Australian Education Union.

Debates during the Congress were similar to debates occurring in classrooms, schools and other educational workplaces across Australia.

The Congress theme, Education for Global Progress, and the three sub-themes Education: Public Service or Community; The Right to Teach, the Right to Learn; and Recruitment and Retention of Qualified Teachers are identical to the issues that consume much of our professional dialogue on a daily basis.

Other topics included devolution and deregulation, the impact of globalisation on the provision of public education, the impact of information and communication technologies on education, vocational education and training, professional ethics, superannuation.

Mr Nxesi spoke of the main tasks for the organisation arising from the Congress:

• the threat of HIV/AIDS. Rates of infection in many parts of Africa, in particular, are such that this pandemic puts at risk our objectives of education for all. In some parts of Africa it is reported that up to 30 per cent of teachers are infected;
• the struggle for quality public education for all;
• the search for a new global order based on social justice, peace and security, and a commitment to defending human rights, and
• building teacher unity and trade union organisation to improve the conditions of education workers.

Passions were high in the debate around education for peace in which a Spanish resolution was subject to amendments from United States unions. The amendments would have had the effect of weakening the Spanish resolution which articulated a clear, principled position against the war and the subsequent invasion and occupation of Iraq. Australian and United Kingdom speakers condemned their governments' unilateralism in Iraq. The US amendments were defeated and the original unanimously supported.

AEU Federal President Pat Byrne made one of the most influential speeches in this debate, condemning the role of the Howard Government and explaining the position of the Australian Education Union as part of the anti-war alliance. It was essential for teachers to tell the truth about peace and war, not to be cowed by the drum-beating of those in power, she said. The National Union of Teachers (UK) President Mary Compton condemned the Blair Government for its role.

Education International General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen reported that the work in the last three years had occurred under the shadow of the twin towers tragedy (September 11, 2001) and the response of the global superpower to prioritise the war against terror on a unilateral basis, contrary to international law, meant that educators in the United States and worldwide should work for the defeat of the Bush administration.

Terrorism was the enemy of all those wanting social progress but its pursuit should not be at the cost of authoritarianism and war, and not at the cost of education as a force for enlightenment.

AEU delegates held valuable discussions with representatives of a number of unions with a view to developing closer relations and possibly projects to support their work.

These included unions in Chile, Zimbabwe and Colombia whose work as unionists is either now or was previously threatened by murder and execution of activists. It was a timely reminder that democracy is not guaranteed and that education unions are often seen as a threat by those in power.

Pre-Congress events included Women's Caucus, the Indigenous Peoples Forum and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Forum jointly organised by Education International and Public Services International.

Apart from being inspirational and motivating the Education International World Congress provided confidence that teachers across the globe continue the fight for quality public education for all. Globalisation and the attempts by neo-liberal conservative forces to commodify public education make the global union movement increasingly important and directly relevant.

AEU Deputy Federal Secretary Susan Hopgood was again elected as Vice-President as part of the leadership team.

Angelo Gavrielatos is Federation's Senior Vice President and Deputy Federal President of the Australian Education Union. Rob Durbridge is the Federal Secretary of the Australian Education Union.

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