NZEI Attending Education Union Congress In Brazil

NZEI Attending Education Union Congress In Brazil

Five representatives of NZEI Te Riu Roa are heading to Brazil this Sunday (July 18) to attend the fourth World Congress of Education International.

Educational International represents 26 million education professionals who belong to 319 education unions and associations in 162 countries and territories.

NZEI Te Riu Roa is a member of Educational International. It is New Zealand’s largest education union representing 43,000 members working as early childhood teachers, primary sector teachers and principals, support staff in primary and secondary schools, special education staff in early childhood, primary and secondary schools and school advisers.

The EI World Congress runs from July 22 to 26 in the Brazilian city of Porto Allegre.

The main theme of the congress is Education For Global Progress and the topics for discussion include: Is education a public service or commodity to be bought and sold? Protection of the right to teach and learn. The recruitment and retention of qualified teachers.

“These are issues that are relevant to educational professionals throughout the world but they are also issues New Zealanders will recognise,” says NZEI Te Riu Roa National President, Colin Tarr.

“We all recognise the need to recruit and retain qualified teachers for our schools and early childhood education centres and are aware of the debate over whether a quality education is a fundamental right that should be guaranteed to all children or a just another commodity that can be traded in the market.”

“The delegation from NZEI is looking forward to discussing these and other key educational issues with fellow educational professionals from throughout the world,” says Colin Tarr.

The NZEI delegation will travel to Brazil with representatives of the Association of University Staff and the Association of Staff in Tertiary Education. A delegation from the Post Primary Teachers Association is also attending the congress.

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