German President Salutes Teachers
23/07/2007 08:57
PR Newswire
BERLIN, July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- "The goal of quality Education For All is something I hold very dear to
my heart. I will do everything I can to defend it in my country and wherever
possible."
This is the pledge made by Horst Köhler, the Federal President of
Germany, to 1,700 teachers and education workers who came from around the
world to attend the opening ceremony of the 5th World Congress of Education
International.
Köhler said his own life illustrates very well the difference that access
to a good education can make. As the second youngest of eight children in a
refugee family, young Köhler might not have expected to study, let alone to
grow up to become the President of Germany. But thanks to a special and
caring teacher who helped him, he was able to pursue his education and build
a distinguished career.
"I was lucky to meet such a good teacher. But a good education should not
be a question of luck. It is a human right," Köhler asserted.
The German President also acknowledged that teachers carry an enormous
responsibility. "We expect a lot of them because we entrust them what is most
precious to us - our children."
For that reason, societies should be concerned to provide teachers with
good working conditions, and not only in terms of salaries. Class size,
professional support, and improved recognition of the value of teachers' work
are also important, he said.
The audience of teachers gave President Köhler a standing ovation at the
end of his address, a vote of confidence in his message from representatives
of teacher unions in 170 countries and territories on all continents. With a
combined membership of 30 million teachers and education workers, Education
International is one of the world's largest labour bodies.
Its president, Thulas Nxesi, also serves as the General Secretary of the
South African Democratic Teachers' Association. In his keynote address, Nxesi
emphasized the theme of the World Congress: "Educators joining together for
quality education and social justice."
He emphasized the importance of unity within the teacher trade union
movement. And yet unity has historically proved to be illusive.
"Until very recently the political reasons that divided Berlin also
divided the international labour movement. The wall that once divided this
city also divided workers from one another. In my own country, racism divided
workers into different organisations and kept the majority of the population
in servitude whilst their leaders languished for decades in prison. But in
1989 the Wall came down. A year later Nelson Mandela walked from prison a
free man. And as the world changed, so did the labour movement. Teachers
started to come together," Nxesi said.
"Who would have believed 20 years ago that the four teacher international
organisations would unite as one? Who would have dared to believe that the
Cold War would end and that Apartheid would crumble? It happened and we have
overcome!"
Nxesi said that the next step for the teachers' movement is to become
truly global, reaching out to teachers in the Arab world, in Asia and in
China.
And the key challenge for teachers' unions worldwide is to do their
utmost to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals, especially Education
for All by 2015. He urged member organisations to continue to hold
governments to account for the commitments they made in Dakar in 2000.
Nxesi warned about the growing trend internationally towards a view of
education for "human capital," which assumes that public education exists
mainly to produce a work force for an increasingly competitive global
economy. Instead, he called on delegates to advocate for a vision that is
rooted in social democracy, and which engages the broader society in defining
the values of public education.
For more information, please contact Nancy Knickerbocker, EI Communications Coordinator, on +49-176-1683-1175 or Nancy.Knickerbocker@ei-ie.org