USA: NEA gears up for EI World Congress
The National Education Association has started preparing for World Congress during its annual Representatives’ Assembly in Orlando, Florida, where more than seven hundred of its three thousand delegates learnt about Education International first hand.
With just over two weeks to go for Education International (EI)’s Seventh World Congress, the National Education Association (NEA), EI’s largest affiliate, has started preparing their members and leadership for the quadrennial event, where a 100-strong delegation will be in attendance.
During the run up to its yearly Representative Assembly, the union organised a series of events that included a briefing session for delegates to the congress, as well as an exhibition stand for EI during the pre-Representatives’ Assembly Expo, which was visited by hundreds of delegates.
The briefing session for Congress delegates included interventions by members from the international department and former NEA presidents Mary Hatwood Futrell and Dennis van Roekel. Delegates could learn first hand about the congress’ main policy issues and its overarching theme “Unite for Quality Education”, with which they have previously engaged through different activities during last years’ world-wide campaign.
One of the main aims of the congress will be to decide on the steps that can take the campaign further in the direction of analysing and creating a ‘Global Response to the commercialisation and privatisation in and of education.’ Based on thorough and extensive research, the ‘Global Response’ will be one of EI’s main policy concerns in the coming four years.
The briefing concluded with the intervention of Hatwood Futrell and van Roekel, who shared their decades-long experience of being both at the helm of the NEA and EI, as well as participating at World Congress. Both agreed on the fact that it was a unique learning experience for delegates, and a chance to further deepen international bonds with colleagues from all over the world.
