Education International revisited Jomtien to illuminate the role of teachers as partners in achieving Education for All

In continuing efforts to promote the status, interests, and right of teachers and education employees and achieve education for all, El hosted the largest international meeting of teachers at its Third World Congress: Educating in a Global Economy. More than 1,100 delegates, observers and guests from some 155 countries attended.

Educating in a Global Economy
The Congress theme, 'Educating in a Global Economy" guided discussions on the role of teachers. Delegates identified ways of helping educators and their organisations meet their future challenges of defending public education, providing quality education, fighting child labour, securing education rights of indigenous peoples, etc. They created policy to shape the international voice of education personnel, and allocated a multi-million dollar budget for the next three years.

11 years ago, government representatives at the 1990 World Conference on Education for All in Jomtien, Thailand pledged to provide primary education for all children and massively reduce adult illiteracy by the end of the decade. They failed the first time, but will not again. El outlined Partnerships to Achieve Education for All as one of the three sub themes for the World Congress. Delegates reviewed viable options for achieving education for all and examined how partnerships among the shakeholders will help make the new goal of 2015 a reality. Then through policy development and resource allocation, delegates created El's strategy to help put every child in school.

Globalisatian and the Rights and Employment Conditions of Teachers sub theme focused on how the globalisation process has brought education 'reform' that has deteriorated the working conditions, employment rights and pay of education personnel. Delegates discussed ways to influence current international debates and policies so that the approach to globalisation places people first. Challenging the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services, debt relief, and the lack of transparency and democratic procedures of some international agencies were hot topics on the congressional floor.

The third sub theme topic Education and Information Technology could not be left out of any discussion regarding the future of education. Information and communication technology brings new challenges and opportunities that may be decisive for the future of public education. Debates concerning the super-concentration of the eLearning industry, how to increase educator involvement in educational software development, and the new role for governments in the information age broke new policy grounds for El.

The Jamaica Teachers' Association was represented by a delegation of 17 headed by the then President, Judith Spencer Jarrett.

For more information, go to the EI site - e-i.i-e.org

September 13