Egypt's Hosni Mubarak in hospital after 'heart attack'

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is in intensive care after suffering a heart attack, say state media.

He was taken ill while meeting prosecutors investigating the killing of hundreds of protesters and allegations of corruption, reports say.

The manager of the hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh said Mr Mubarak's condition was "almost stable".

Mr Mubarak, 82, stood down on 11 February following an 18-day popular uprising against his rule.

State TV quotes medical sources as saying that Mr Mubarak, had refused to eat or drink since being summoned by the public prosecutor on Sunday.

Mr Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal, are also under investigation and are being questioned at the prosecutor's office in al-Tor in South Sinai governorate, where the former president is said to have been when he suffered the reported medical emergency.Scuffles

"There is a state of confusion inside the hospital and only patients are allowed in," Ashraf Swaylam, a news reporter for the state-run station Nile TV, said earlier.

The hospital was accepting no patients except for emergency cases, another local media report said.

Protesters picketed the hospital, denouncing the president and carrying a sign reading "Here is the butcher", AP news agency reported. They scuffled with supporters of Mr Mubarak.

Mr Mubarak underwent gall bladder surgery in the German city of Heidelberg last year and there were reports that he had remained in poor health, although his aides had denied this.

A BBC correspondent says it is understood that the former president's doctors had asked Egypt's ruling military council for permission to send him back to Germany for treatment, but that this was refused.

Mr Mubarak has been banned from leaving the country, along with his sons and their wives, and the family's assets have been frozen.

In a pre-recorded audio message on Sunday, he broke his silence of the last two months to say his reputation and that of his sons had been damaged and he would work to clear their names.Square cleared

Correspondents say he has been keeping a low profile in Sharm el-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort, after fleeing to his holiday villa there when he was overthrown.

In a separate development, soldiers and police are said to have ended a five-day occupation of Cairo's Tahrir Square by hundreds of protesters.

They had been demanding civilian rule and swifter prosecution of disgraced former officials, principally Mr Mubarak.

There were clashes on the first night of the occupation and tensions had remained high.

source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13053376

Let's look at all the evidence from top educators abroad

Michael Gove is keen to see what we have to learn from education systems internationally, but the lessons may not be as straightforward as he thinks, says Valerie Hannon

Last week I saw a report that a US congresswoman wanted to change the official value of pi to precisely 3 as a way to help US 15-year-olds, after they came 25th in maths in the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's world study. The story was a hilarious spoof, but it well illustrates the strength of feeling about these global rankings.

Recently Michael Gove has stressed the importance of comparing education systems internationally, as seen in the OECD's Pisa studies, and of learning from the most successful nations. But what should our response be?

The education secretary enthuses about Andreas Schleicher, of the OECD, calling him the "most important man in English education" for the insights his work confers. Schleicher's analysis, according to Gove, shows, first, that "we [England] are falling further and further behind other nations"; and second, that the key to success is "to recruit the best possible people into teaching and provide them with high-quality training and professional development". This is true – as far as it goes. But it is a partial analysis.

What else have successful systems to tell us about the issues we face today? Schleicher's work demonstrates compellingly that demand for the competencies 20th-century school systems were good at imparting (routine cognitive and manual skills) is falling sharply among employers across the world. He shows that 21st-century systems need to prepare young people with the skills to undertake non-routine analytic and, especially, non-routine interactive tasks. Schleicher's conclusion is: "The skills that are easiest to teach and test are also easiest to digitise, automate and outsource."

The implication of these findings is that systems need to prepare students "to deal with more rapid change than ever before … for jobs that have not yet been created … using technologies that have not yet been invented". This is about learning how to learn, and new ways of thinking that involve creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making. It is in sharp contrast to an emphasis on the capacity to reproduce facts. Reducing the debate into a "skills v knowledge" dichotomy is manifestly false. The issue is the right balance between content acquisition, and the skills and dispositions needed to succeed in fundamentally changed conditions. This is the key message of Schleicher and the OECD's work. It is to be hoped that the current curriculum review is permitted to take this wider view.

For this is the perspective being adopted by the world's leading systems. Rather than relying on past achievements, they are reconceiving how they approach the future. Take Finland – always at or near the top of the Pisa rankings. The director of the Finnish board of education has described how their system has identified the key competencies for lifelong learning, and is setting about transforming their system to ensure they're acquired. Critically, this entails enabling learners to "undertake meaningful problem-based inquiry, which might be multi-disciplinary, supported by blended teaching methods and hybrid resources". The Finns aren't giving up on acquiring knowledge. They just know it's not enough.

Then there's South Korea, another "top performing" system. Perceived as exam-driven, cramming its students, Korea is set to change. Exploring the work of its very best schools has revealed that they focus on providing concentrated time for some subjects (rather than shallow drip-feed); on personalising learning; on evaluating creativity; and on experience-based learning. South Korea is basing its innovation agenda on the "three C's": creativity, collaboration and character.

And finally, take one of the most improved cities in the world in terms of education performance – New York City. Gove recently hosted the former chancellor of the NYC school system, praising the rapid progress made by the city. What he omitted, however, was that NYC has acknowledged its current set of school improvement initiatives is inadequate to deal with the challenges young people face. So it has a launched an Innovation Zone, comprising a distributed network of schools, specifically to test and refine new approaches to learning and teaching that are more personalised and emphasise higher-level skills.

So yes, let's join the global education community seeking out the best ways to make learning engaging and relevant to young people in the digital age. But let's do it with open minds, and attention to all the evidence.

Valerie Hannon is a board director of the Innovation Unit.

source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/mar/29/pisa-international-education-systems-evidence-compare

UK: Unions march for alternative economic choices and growth

EI’s British member organisations are backing their national Trades Union Congress (TUC) call for action and will join a March for the Alternative on 26 March.

The National Union of Teachers, the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, and the University and College Union, will join other public and private sector unions in a national day of action.

They have supported calls from the TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, who said “the brutal austerity measures being implemented in Britain, on the back of a series of myths, half-truths and distortions have poisoned our public debate.”

Like Barber, EI’s affiliates in the UK believe that “the government's answer – to slash public spending with reckless speed – is based not on a sound reading of the evidence, but on an ideological zeal to shrink the size of the state,” and that “the so-called reforms in the National Health Service and education threaten the fundamental character of our public realm.”

Teacher unionists consider the Conservative Government’s decision to “spend more on servicing debt interest than on educating our children is just plain wrong” and wish to break down “the myths used by the government to justify its deep, rapid and unfair cuts and set out the case for an alternative based on jobs, investment and growth.”

According to the TUC, four myths exist: that the deficit was caused by out-of-control public spending; without drastic cuts, Britain would become the next Greece; Britain is like a household that has ‘maxed out’ on its credit card, and though it is a great sound bite, and one that the public can easily understand, that there is no alternative.

Barber noted that there is a “need to make jobs and growth the priority, keeping people in work, keeping tax revenues flowing, limiting the huge social costs of unemployment. And rather than swingeing cuts, we need a much more prominent role for progressive taxes - not least on the City and the bankers who caused this mess.”

EI supports the British TUC’s campaign, and calls on all teachers to join the major demonstration planned to take place on 26 March, with a message that pushes for a “genuine alternative with fair tax, growth and jobs at its heart, resonating with the public.”

source:http://www.ei-ie.org/news/news_details/1716

Book now for Cambridge Teachers' Conference

Come and join us at our annual Teachers' Conference at Robinson College, Cambridge from 11-13 September 2011.

Building on the success of last year’s event, the conference package is more extensive than ever before and offers delegates a fantastic opportunity to discover different approaches to teaching, interact with each other and forge links with teachers from around the world. Last year’s conference brought together over 170 teachers from 44 countries.

This year’s theme is Learning, Teaching and the Brain and we will focus on current research in the developing field of brain research and education. Keynote speakers will look at this increasingly important subject, offering an insight into the latest research and its implications for education. In particular, we will examine what this tells us about learning, thinking, memory, attention and assessment.

Delegates will also take part in interactive workshops, giving you an opportunity to reflect upon your own teaching methods and share ideas. You can tailor the conference to your own specific needs.

Booking is now open, and a discounted rate applies if you register by 15 April 2011.

We look forward to seeing you in Cambridge!

source:http://www.cie.org.uk/news/features/detail?feature_id=37459

Top in Sri Lanka winner collects award in Cambridge

We recently had an opportunity to meet a former Cambridge student from Stafford International School, Sri Lanka who is now studying at the University of Cambridge.

In November last year, Ayushka Nugaliyadda won an Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award for her exceptional performance in her Cambridge International A Level Psychology exam. She was unable to attend the ceremony in Sri Lanka, and so we presented the award to her in Cambridge instead!

Our photograph shows Ayushka receiving her Top in Sri Lanka award from former member of the University of Cambridge International Examinations Syndicate, Dr John Guy OBE (left) and Warden of Robinson College, David Yeates (right).

Ayushka, who is studying Economics at Robinson College, says she chose to study Cambridge International A Level Psychology in order to broaden her outlook. She also took exams in Accounting, Economics, and Maths with Statistics – achieving A and A* grades in all subjects – and so wanted to study a subject that did not have a business focus. She said the University found her subject combination unusual, but she had no problem applying and they recognised her qualifications.

So how did she find her Cambridge International A Level studies? ‘I liked the syllabus’, she said, ‘it was diverse at International AS Level and became even broader in the second year.’

Ayushka only applied to UK universities, however she would like to return to Sri Lanka to pursue a career in developmental economics. On the day we met, she had had her first lecture in developmental economics and found that her psychology studies were relevant to the topic. She said: ‘The lecturer explained that psychological factors – such as happiness – are a consideration in developmental economics. It is surprising to find how my psychology studies will help me with my economics degree.’

Ayushka said it felt good to win her Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award. We wish her all the best for her future studies and career.

source:http://www.cie.org.uk/news/features/detail?feature_id=37411

USA: Senators restrict public-sector and teacher unions' rights

Republicans in the Wisconsin state senate have approved a regressive plan to strip public-sector and teacher trade unions of most of their collective bargaining rights.

The US state's 14 Democratic senators had sought to prevent the move by fleeing the state, leaving the chamber short of the number needed for a vote, but the Republicans used a rarely used procedural move to allow them to vote on the measure in committee instead.

Crowds of protesters from EI's U.S. affiliates, the AFT and NEA, swamped the state capitol in Madison following the vote.

"The whole world is watching," they shouted as police guarded the entrance to the senate chamber. In the senate gallery, spectators shouted "you are cowards" as voting took place.

The plan has prompted weeks of protests in support of public workers and teachers.

The Republican-controlled state assembly is due to take up the legislation on Thursday morning, after which it will go to Republican Governor Scott Walker for signature.

Mr Walker argues the move is needed to help tackle a $3.6bn budget gap over the next two years but the education unions have said it is intended to weaken the power of the unions, which tend to back the Democrats in elections.

The Democrats had called for the Republicans to compromise over public-sector unions' bargaining rights.

But Mr Walker's proposal was approved by a special conference committee after it was stripped of financial measures, meaning that a quorum was no longer needed in the Senate. No Democrats were present to vote against the legislation. Republican Senator Dale Schultz cast the only 'no' vote.

In a statement published on his website, Governor Walker said: "I applaud the legislature's action today to stand up to the status quo and take a step in the right direction to balance the budget and reform government."

He added that the state's Democratic senators - who fled to neighbouring Illinois nearly three weeks ago to block a vote - had had plenty of chances to come back to Wisconsin and act.

Democratic senate minority leader, Mark Miller, said the Republicans had shown disrespect for the people of Wisconsin and their rights: "Tonight, 18 senate Republicans conspired to take government away from the people. Tomorrow we will join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government."

State unions had said they would agree to Mr Walker's proposed changes to their benefits - which would amount to an eight per cent pay cut - as long as they retained collective bargaining rights.

National Education Association President, Dennis Van Roekel, said: “These are actions more fitting for comic book arch-villains. A new crop of state leaders have launched blistering attacks on working families disguised as budget and education reforms, and many have sought to strip workers’ rights to have a voice through their union.”

EI General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen, said: “Educators around the world are behind their U.S. colleagues, and strongly condemn this assault on trade union members’ basic right to collective bargaining.

“Those political leaders who attack education workers with such regressive moves, fail to understand that successful education reform cannot be achieved without the involvement and consent of teachers, education workers and their school communities. EI will make this point, among others, to ensure that the teacher voice is heard at next week’s International Summit on the Teaching Profession in New York, where we will advocate for a strong and respected teaching workforce in all countries.”

source:http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1555&theme=rights&country=usa

Exciting new developments in Cambridge Pre-U for September 2011

Exciting new Cambridge Pre-U developments for September 2011: Cambridge Pre-U Biology, Drama and Theatre, Mathematics Short Course.

We are investing in the development of many aspects of Cambridge Pre-U as demand from schools grows.

One strand is syllabus development. Schools want to extend the Cambridge Pre-U approach to more subjects, and we are integrating feedback from teachers into our range of syllabuses.

We have three new Cambridge Pre-U syllabuses for first teaching in September 2011:

Cambridge Pre-U Drama and Theatre

A new subject for Cambridge Pre-U - as schools requested.

Cambridge Pre-U Drama and Theatre provides an excellent foundation for studying drama and theatre at university level - combining academic rigour with significant credit for practical work.

It helps students to make a strong application for university study in other subjects, because of the combination of academic rigour and creative work.

Students can explore their interests in depth, with a free choice of dissertation.

It helps students develop a wide perspective on world theatre.

Cambridge Pre-U Biology

Cambridge Pre-U Biology offers learners an ideal foundation for university-level studies. We have developed and revised the course with schools ad universities.

We have refocused the content and approach after feedback from schools that wanted to be confident their students had time to cover all the course material in two years.

Cambridge Pre-U Biology now combines four underlying themes for studying biology.

Teachers can use all four underlying themes to unify their teaching or select from the four: cell biology, Evolution and the fundamentals of life, whole organisms biology, environmental biology.

Encourages learners to develop their problem solving, handling information, practical, experimental and investigative skills.

Cambridge Pre-U Biology helps teachers create a motivating and engaging mosaic of different learning experiences and teaching approaches --- context-based and learner-centred, or content-based, teacher-led approach; or a combination of the two approaches.

Cambridge Pre-U Mathematics (Pure Mathematics and Statistics) Short course

Understanding mathematical concepts is vital for success on many degree courses as well as mathematics, physics ad engineering.

That's why we have consulted closely with teachers and universities about a new mathematics course --- to support students studying other subjects, such as biology, chemistry, economics, geography and business.

It will help students applying for university --- by showing they can deal confidently with the mathematical concepts that complement their chosen degree course.

The qualification is designed for one year's study and Ofqaul has just accredited it. We will publish the syllabus very soon.

source:http://www.cie.org.uk/news/features/detail?feature_id=37396

Forging new relations with institutions

Project English aims to provide every teacher and learner with skills, ideas, and access to the best resources from the U.K., says Mr. Sellers.

The British Council has expanded its programmes in the country by implementing several educational and cultural projects over these years. Paul Sellers, the new Director of the British Council for operations in South India, says that the council is keen on building relationships with a variety of institutions and people in India through its ongoing and forthcoming initiatives. In an interview to The Hindu-EducationPlus in Kochi, Mr. Sellers, who had earlier held senior positions with the British Council worldwide, elaborates on a wide-range of topics related to the council. Excerpts from the interview:

How good is the demand for U.K. higher education among students in India? How do you plan to tap the growing opportunities in the Indian higher education sector?

The demand for U.K. higher education keeps increasing every year. We had a 16 per cent increase last year. There are around 15,000 Indian students going to the U.K. [every year] to study the undergraduate or postgraduate programmes offered by the universities in the country. That is the number of students on our record. It is probably more than that. Interestingly, Kerala accounts for around two-third of the number. It is the biggest among the States. The largest number of students come from Kerala. We attribute this to the good school education and literacy.

Possibly the demand for courses in certain subject areas isnot met even though there are very good higher educational institutions in South India especially in health care and engineering.

And IT is also coming up. British Council institutions around the world have always had a mission to promote the U.K. as a higher educational destination.

Increasingly, we want to build sort of mutual links between U.K. universities and India. We make it easy for the U.K. universities to come and present themselves before Indian students by holding U.K. education exhibitions. We also work closely with the British High Commission so that they can give information on visa requirements, which is an important issue. We are conscious of the competition from Australia, South East Asia, and Europe. The U.K.'s niche is often the postgraduate programmes that complement the undergraduate programmes students pursue here especially in niche subject areas.

One of the ways forward is to link educational institutions in India and the U.K. so that students have a real choice where to study and from where they get quality education.

Do you think that the move by the Indian government to allow foreign universities to open shop here would pave way for the entry of higher education providers in the U.K. to India?

I think definitely there is an opportunity. The new legislation is a positive step forward. I see the U.K. institutions going for joint ventures in India. Some would set up their own campus. But I understand it requires a lot of investment. Some universities thrive on that — Middlesex, Nottingham and some others. They already have campuses in China and the United Arab Emirates running successfully. The reputation of universities is very often based on its locality or presence. The best option, the low-risk model, is to have joint programmes and exchange of faculty and students. And again here British Council intends to help by maintaining the contact with the Indian universities. We can put them together when institutes in the U.K. want to go for joint collaboration.

Do you think that the visa restrictions imposed by the U.K. government would impact genuine applications for higher education?

No, definitely not. There is no barrier at all in terms of the standard students who want to pursue a programme in the U.K. on a bonafide basis especially in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. What the U.K. government has done is to tie-up some of the loose ends in the legislation. It is a fact that some students heading to the U.K. for short-term programmes like language courses are not necessarily going for that sole purpose. We encourage students to come. The student with the right qualification is offered a place in the U.K. in the right institution.

What is your advice to students who are searching for data on the higher educational opportunities in the U.K.? How would they be able to identify fake agents and agencies?

They should go through the British Council web site (www.britishcouncil.org). We have a database of all the universities in the U.K. And this list is vetted and guaranteed by the British Council. It also gives a breakdown of the courses and subjects specialised by each university.

If you are lucky enough to be in a place where you have access to one of our U.K. education exhibition, you can talk directly to the representatives of the universities.

I think the vast majority of agents do a really good job, as they assist the students in finding their right course.

If their advice and data match the initial research you have done on the basis of the British Council web site, it is more likely that they can help you. Do not pay fees upfront without a written guarantee and a contract or paper work. I believe nearly a dozen agents based in Kochi have passed the British Council training for agents.

We offer them a special training. Another thing to do is to check whether they are accredited by the council. It is not mandatory. But it is yet another guarantee.

Could you elaborate on the ongoing ‘Learn English' project initiated by the council?

Project English, a regional initiative on English language teaching (ELT) and training, was launched in November 2007 with the commitment to provide every teacher and learner with skills, ideas, and access to the best resources from the U.K.

A target of indirectly training 7.5 lakh teachers in India from 2007-12 has been set. We have currently reached 74 per cent of the target. Since November 2007, we have trained 4,266 master trainers, 5,56,166 teachers and 28 million students through this initiative.

We are in the middle of a very productive contract with the Kerala government to train teachers of English in the public sector.

The methodology is to train a cadre of master trainers. In the past 18 months, we have trained 300 master trainers. They have trained over 6,000 teacher trainers. These trainers have taught two lakh students in Kerala so far.

We do have similar agreements with nine State governments including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Our aim is to get as close as to the end user — the student.

The council keeps a quality control over the programme. Considering the huge demand in India, our ambition is to become more high-tech with learning of English. We are now researching and investing in English through mobile phone technology and online programmes. Picking the right technology is the key.

One technology might be right for Europe but may not be right for India. Mobile phone market in India had outstretched. Our Internet provision is very good. It will help in increasing your capabilities in learning English. There is a whole range of free materials on the council's web site on learning English.

The focus is still on the teacher. There are very good teacher support materials on the web site.

We already have the Cambridge teacher training course. And we are looking for ways to transmit a similar course through television.

source:http://www.hindu.com/edu/2011/03/08/stories/2011030850030100.htm

India No. 4 in World's Best Education Destination list

It is an ill-kept secret that Indian education standards are among the best in the world. But now, it's official. India stands at number 4 in the list of most desired education destinations.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the body which conducts GMAT recently conducted a survey, which pegged the United States and the United Kingdom at No. 1 and 2, but what has come as a real surprise is India's rank. The third most powerful Asian nation has been placed at the 4th most desired place to study management courses.

GMAT is one amongst the top B-school entrance test which is conducted at global level. Canada has secured the third position in the lot. Even Spain and Israel have appeared in the list among the top preferred destinations for B-schools.

 

Source: http://education.in.msn.com/news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4611231

Pakistan situation to be discussed at Jamia seminar

New Delhi: Six eminent scholars from Pakistan, the UK and Sweden will participate in a two-day international seminar on "The State of Pakistan" on Thursday organized by the Jamia Millia Islamia.

The main objective of the seminar is to discuss and understand politics and the state in Pakistan. 

"In recent years, the concerns about Pakistan's security and stability have been so overwhelming that the politics of Pakistan has not received adequate attention," a press statement said.

The event is organized by the Pakistan StudiesProgramme at the Academy of Third World Studies in Jamia. 

"The seminar will focus on the significant political developments in Pakistan and it will help gain deeper in sights into the new developments and challenges the country is facing today," the statement added.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Delhi/Pakistan_situation_to_be_discussed_at_Jamia_seminar_13572/

OECD: Pre-school pupils are still better readers aged 15

Children who have been in pre-school education are likely to be much better readers when they are aged 15, reveals a study of international test results.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published an analysis of tests taken by pupils in developed countries - looking at the long-term impact of pre-school education. This showed that 15-year-olds who had attended pre-school were on average a year ahead of those who had not. This advantage was particularly strong for pupils in the UK.

The study is based on international tests taken by pupils in industrialised countries known as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The most recent results were published in December, based on tests taken in 2009 by 15-year-old pupils in 65 school systems.

The latest study looks at the links between achievement in these tests and pupils' first experiences of education. It found that in almost all countries taking part in the tests, pupils who had attended pre-school, such as nursery or children's centres from the age of three, outperformed those who had not. This gap remained after different social backgrounds had been taken into account.

Since pre-school education is more likely among better-off families, this can create an early social divide between pupils.

The research also suggests that disadvantaged and immigrant families can gain above-average benefits from early education.

There are considerable differences between countries in how much children are advantaged by pre-school education.

Denmark along with countries such as France, Israel, Italy, Switzerland and the UK, is where there is the most marked advantage in having attended pre-school.

At the other end of the scale, there are a group of countries in which there is relatively little connection between attending pre-school and later performance – including Estonia, Finland, Ireland and South Korea.

The study shows there are substantial differences in the numbers of pupils in pre-school education.

In France, Japan and Belgium it is described as near-universal, while in Canada, Ireland and Poland less than 50 per cent of children attend pre-school.

source:http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1511&theme=educationforall&country=global

UK: Training of teachers vital to managing pupil behaviour

The National Union of Teachers (UK) has responded to a parliamentary Education Committee report into behaviour and discipline in schools by stressing the need for teachers to have access to continuous professional development.

The NUT has argued that this is the key to ensuring teachers remain confident and well informed in how to deal with pupil behaviour.

NUT General Secretary, Christine Blower, said: “While we must not forget that the majority of our classrooms are safe and pupils are well behaved the NUT agrees that it is critical for schools to have behaviour and discipline policies drawn up not only in consultation with staff, but also with children and young people and that the whole school community is actually involved in making sure that the policy is implemented, on a proper and consistent basis. “

Blower added: “whatever curriculum is put into place has to be free from the restraint of excessive testing and league tables which simply stifle creativity and enjoyment.

“Unlike the report we do not support the move towards school centred and employment based training. Teachers need proper, in depth, theoretical training, as much of this report demonstrates.”

According to Blower, the report is “a stark reminder that cutting schools budgets and those of local authorities will lead to the most vulnerable children being deprived of vital services. A problem which will only be exacerbated if more schools become academies or Free Schools and coherent provision for schools is slowly, but surely dismantled.”

EI supports the NUT’s campaign to secure quality training for teachers and an excellent education to students in Britain.

As the global union federation representing 30 million teachers worldwide, EI urges governments not to use the global economic crisis as an excuse to cut public spending in education and teacher training and jobs.

To read the full NUT statement, please click here.

source:http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1507&theme=ei&country=global