Education throughout the world is in a state of crisis. The economic recession has prompted governments across the globe to implement drastic austerity measures, with negative repercussions for education services worldwide.
Cuts in public education budgets are leading to: staffing shortages, salary and pension cuts or freezes, deteriorating working conditions and learning environments, infringements of trade union rights, curtailing of curricula in schools and reductions in education support services.
The reduction in education spending adversely impacts every student and teacher; it threatens to undermine the education of future generations, exacerbate social inequalities and reverse many of the hard-earned economic and social developments of recent decades.
By Anastasia Spyropoulou (anastasia@eltnews.gr)
Late last year, Education International hosted a seminar on the theme "Education in Crisis" at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Brussels, Belgium.
Passionate discussions were held during the Crisis Seminar. Participants from educational unions worldwide and international organisations reiterated the need for investing in education to sustainably recover from the current economic and financial crisis.
Discussions and presentations focused on exiting the economic crisis through economic policies that address stability and growth and the future funding of public education systems. Participants examined the devastating impacts that the economic recession has had on education systems worldwide, and develop responses to begin to repair those effects.
Plenary speakers included:
• Professor Deborah Meier of the Steinhardt School of Education, New York University, who called for a global response to the current state of education as a result of the economic crisis
• Carol Bellamy, Chair of the Global Partnership for Education, who discussed the future of education and development around the world in the context of the economic crisis.
The Panel discussion
"When you are in a hole, stop digging!"
The round table discussion: Strategies for exiting the crisis and policies for future economic growth, was moderated by Roland Schneider, Senior Policy Advisor to the trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
He started by highlighting that austerity measures imposed by or upon many governments worldwide do not work. "When you are in a hole, stop digging!" he said. "Trade unions must convince governments that they are on the wrong track. The key challenge is to find convincing ways of exiting the crisis and fight for a paradigm shift in economic and social policies."
Teacher unions must contribute shaping the post-crisis future
"The current debt crisis in Europe has been created because we had bank bailouts"
ETUCE (EI region) Director Martin Rømer stressed that "the current crisis is not the only one we have had since the fifties, and there will be an exit. But will we decide which kind of exit we want, or will we let others, i.e. the market, decide?"
"We must remember that the current debt crisis in Europe has been created because we had bank bailouts," he said. "Between October 2008 and October 2011, 4.5 trillion euros went to European banks. This caused a sovereign debt crisis."
He explained that in many European countries, there is currently no social dialogue. Referring to Greece he said that: "Greece is a laboratory for new neo-liberalism. Only in 2020 will Greece go back to the same levels as before it entered the crisis," he warned.
Noting that the real problem in Europe is the lack of growth, Rømer condemned the introduction of the Euro, a common currency, without economic guarantee.
Rømer called for:
• a European financial transaction tax;
• a European-wide regulatory and supervisory framework;
• the allocation to education of unused structural funds;
• a fight against corruption;
• the prevention of the privatisation of education services;
• a democratic debate on whether or not solidarity requires a new European treaty.
Shrinking public budgets means less money for basic infrastructure, law enforcement, safety and protection of legal rights, accessible social welfare, health services and education – all aspects of democratic societies that are also fundamental for economic growth.
Governments present austerity policies as a responsible "spend-what-you-earn" approach as opposed to the irresponsible "borrowing-to-grow" approach that caused the economic crisis. But these austerity policies lead to further hardship and a dismantling of the welfare state model.
Why do we need quality public education?
Education is a foundation on which we build our societies. Public education develops informed and responsible citizens – this is crucial to a common future based on the principles of democracy and solidarity in a global community. Education is a human right and underpins equality.
Quality education
Quality education nurtures human talent and creativity. It contributes to the personal and professional development of the individual, as well as to the social, cultural, economic, political and environmental development of society at large.
It promotes peace, democracy, creativity, solidarity, inclusion, a commitment to a sustainable environment, and international and intercultural understanding. It provides people with the critical knowledge, abilities and skills that are needed to explore and solve problems that occur both locally and globally.
Social outcomes
However, education is much more than learning how to write and calculate or acquire computer literacy. There are significant social outcomes that cannot be overlooked – the longer that young people stay in education, the better health, political interest and interpersonal trust they develop.
