WFTU Mass Media and Communications Department Head, cde Alexandra Liberi during her mission in Nepal attended and addressed the opening of the Nepal National Teachers Association (NNTA), in July 14th 2012.
At her speech cde Liberi focused on basis of the WFTU position on education saying that: “it is based on one very specific principle: knowledge has a social character and is being accumulated during the evolution of the society. It does not belong to anybody or can be obtained by one sole person. One who adds in the social knowledge steps on the footprints of thousand others before him. This is why all people who obtain or expand this knowledge must do so for the benefit of the society as a whole and not for the interests of a few individuals who own the means of production.”
Further she noted:
“Today, problems that derive from the capitalist productive relations and are faced by teachers, pupils and parents around the world are related to:
– The access to education and the class barriers throughout the different levels of the educational systems causing high rates of illiteracy in many occasions or the formation of skilled workers according to the needs of the capitalist profitability.
– The context and the cost of the education.
– The poor or dangerous infrastructure.
– The working conditions of the teachers.
The number of illiterate in the developing countries is higher than 75 million. One out of eight children does not attend even the preliminary education. 55% of those 75 million are girls. In Asia, Africa, in the poor countries of Latin America the percentages are horrifying. Millions of children never learn their countries alphabet. Millions of children are undernourished and suffer from preventable diseases, but nevertheless they walk miles to reach a place where they receive elementary classes. Under a tree, in a shack or in ruins.
In Southern Asia the percentages of illiteracy are 16% for the boys and 26% for the girls. About 25% of the children around the world do not complete elementary education, while 45% does not complete secondary education.
Despite of that, the educational process produces people who will be confused, ignorant of their history and the history of the popular movements around the world, easily manipulated to the choices of the monopolies and the capitalist strategy.
Only a small elite is being educated under the best conditions in order to be used for the development of technology in favour of the capital.
The WFTU is calling the trade union organisations around the world on October 3rd, 2012 to organise militant actions in the framework of this International Action Day demanding Food, Water, Medicine, Books, Housing for all. The main slogan is: “Stop the plundering of the natural resources. Wealth belongs to those who produce it”.
For the issue of Education, the WFTU clearly states:
There have been a series of important struggles from the student movements around the world against the tuition fees and the privatization of the education. The trade union movement must be on the frontline of this struggle not only in solidarity with the students struggles. The issue of education is first and foremost a social issue.
We call the teachers and the professors and the trade unions of all sectors to struggle for a public, free and qualitative education throughout its levels from kindergarten to Ph.D. We need educators that will try to build people with free consciousness, with ideals and principles. We need educators that will try to build militant young people who will fight for their rights and the interest of the working class and the society.
We struggle for free qualitative books for all pupils and students, to be delivered on time under the responsibility of the state.
We struggle for school infrastructure that meets the needs of the educational process and all the safety precautions.
We struggle for teachers who are backed by their studies and by the state in providing qualitative, creative education that will create free people.
Also the WFTU, the FISE and the Venezuelan Teachers Federation SINAFUM are organising on 19-20 September 2012 the World Teachers Congress in Caracas, Venezuela. We would like to extent this invitation to you to participate and play a leading role to the strengthening of FISE to play its role as the organiser and the coordinator of the class-oriented teachers’ organisations around the world.”