Last year, on Oct. 5 — observed annually as World Teachers’ Day — Education International, the world’s largest federation of unions, representing 30 million education employees, launched the “Unite for Quality Education” campaign.
It is a global effort to demand keeping quality education for all at the top of the agenda for a sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future. The campaign was predicated on EI’s belief that a good education is comprised of three quality pillars: teaching, tools for teaching and learning, and environments for teaching and learning.
One year later, we have witnessed firsthand that efforts to meet the basic goal of “education for all” are falling short. Globally, nearly 60 million children remain out of school, indicating education is still not top of mind for some leaders, and the international community has not delivered on its Millennium Development Goals, one of which was to ensure universal access to quality education.
About the author
Susan Hopgood
Susan Hopgood is president of Education International and Federal Secretary of the Australian Education Union, the first woman to achieve that position.
