Ei-iE

Jens Kalaene
Jens Kalaene

Equity and inclusion

We defend and promote the principles of equity and equality in education, in education unions and in society. We are fully committed to combating all forms of racism and of bias or discrimination due age, disability, ethnicity or indigeneity, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation, language, marital status, migratory status, political activism, religion, socio-economic status, trade union affiliation, among others. We are committed to addressing these forms of discrimination through an intersectional lens, which enables a deeper understanding of the complexities of lived experiences.

I think Education International has a leadership role to play… If we’re going to have a more civil society, a more inclusive society, then we have to model that by including men but women as well, people of different ethnic groups or religious backgrounds. All of us have to be involved and be at the table and have that kind of respect.

Professor Mary Hatwood Futrell, First elected EI President, 1993–2004

Promoting and advancing gender equality has always been an Education International priority. We believe that education can play a key role in empowering women and girls and can contribute to breaking through the cycle of gender discrimination. The Education International Gender Equality Action Plan highlights three main priorities:

  1. Promoting women’s leadership and participation within education unions;
  2. Taking action to increase intersectional gender equality in and through education;
  3. Promoting and securing women’s economic empowerment.

The unequal and gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic risks erasing years of progress on equity and inclusion throughout the world. Together with our member organisations, we mobilise to challenge and help dismantle all structures of inequality in education and beyond. As part of this work, we have called for equity audits to be conducted at all levels of education in order to ensure the pandemic does not define the lives of an entire generation of students.

Our work in this area

  1. Video

    Os Sindicatos da Educação tomam medidas para acabar com a violência de género no âmbito escolar

    1 May 2021
  2. Publications

    Effective and Equitable Educational Recovery | 10 Principles

    Education International and the OECD
    28 April 2021

    The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the frequent closure of school buildings in most countries in the world and has interrupted the school attendance of at least 1.2 billion students in 2020 and 2021. Although many education systems have been able to adapt in varying degrees, the pandemic has shown...

    Effective and Equitable Educational Recovery | 10 Principles
    1. Download
  3. News 28 April 2021

    EI and OECD launch Principles for Effective and Equitable Educational Recovery

    How will we ensure effective and equitable educational recovery from COVID19? Education International and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) developed ten key principles which every country can use.

    EI and OECD launch Principles for Effective and Equitable Educational Recovery
  4. Worlds of Education 27 April 2021

    “Investing in education: a must for post-pandemic recovery and SDG progress”, by Dennis Sinyolo

    Dennis Sinyolo

    The COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage communities and test education systems around the world. Evidence from Education International’s surveys on the impact of COVID-19 on education shows that the equity and quality gaps have widened because of the pandemic (see for examplehere andhere) .

    “Investing in education: a must for post-pandemic recovery and SDG progress”, by Dennis Sinyolo
  5. Worlds of Education 8 April 2021

    “Brazilian government makes racism a state policy”, by Iêda Leal.

    Iêda Leal

    Since the coup against President Dilma Rousseff in 2016, the black population has seen an upsurge in violence. With the election of Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, racism, in effect, became state policy. Racism has always existed in the country, but racists are more visible, showing themselves in broad daylight and...

    “Brazilian government makes racism a state policy”, by Iêda Leal.
  6. Worlds of Education 30 March 2021

    "Today, solidarity with women is a fight for democracy”, by Sławomir Broniarz.

    Slawomir Broniarz

    Currently, women and LGBTI people in Poland face a very difficult situation. However, it would be wrong and short-sighted to see attacks on women or LGBTI people as the problem of a single country or of one radically conservative government that seeks to establish an authoritarian regime. Poland is not...

    "Today, solidarity with women is a fight for democracy”, by Sławomir Broniarz.
  7. News 19 March 2021

    Women power unions: Advancing women’s leadership at the 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

    The 65th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is taking place online between the 15th and the 26th of March. Delegates from Education International and other global unions are taking part in the Session to advance women’s full and effective participation in public life.

    Women power unions: Advancing women’s leadership at the 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women
  8. Worlds of Education 19 March 2021

    “Committed leadership and concerted action needed to end the pandemic of racial discrimination”, by Patrick Roach.

    Patrick Roach

    On the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, it is prescient that our trade unions in the UK will be coming together at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Black Workers’ Conference to advance a progressive agenda for anti-racism on the anniversary of the first national...

    “Committed leadership and concerted action needed to end the pandemic of racial discrimination”, by Patrick Roach.
  9. Research

    Education of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the Context of COVID-19: The Education for Life Project in Uganda and South Sudan

    15 March 2021

    The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated education systems, communities, and economies across Africa and globally. The health crisis has seriously affected the education, health and well-being of refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Uganda, South Sudan and across the continent.

    Education of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the Context of COVID-19: The Education for Life Project in Uganda and South Sudan
    1. The Education for Life Project in Uganda and South Sudan
    2. Lições do Projeto de Educação para a Vida no Uganda e Sul do Sudão
  10. Worlds of Education 7 March 2021

    “Take the Long View: Scaling the Staircase of Women’s Equality”, by Dianne Woloschuk.

    Dianne Woloschuk

    What a difference a year makes! If someone had told me on March 8th, 2020, that news cycles and my personal life would focus for a year on wearing masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, and vaccines, I would have been hard pressed to believe it. Without question, the Covid-19 pandemic...

    “Take the Long View: Scaling the Staircase of Women’s Equality”, by Dianne Woloschuk.
  11. Research

    Pandemic Privatisation in Higher Education: Edtech & University Reform

    Ben Williamson, Anna Hogan
    15 February 2021

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, a state of emergency engulfed higher education. The crisis of mass campus closures and a rapid ‘pivot’ to online learning became the context for attempts by private actors and commercial organisations to reconfigure the sector.

    Pandemic Privatisation in Higher Education: Edtech & University Reform
    1. Report
    2. Summary
  12. News 5 February 2021

    Cape Verde: No to COVID-19 and gender-based violence in schools!

    The Federaçao Caboverdiana dos Professores (FECAP) in Cape Verde is campaigning to provide educators with sufficient tools to fight the COVID-19 outbreak and gender-based violence in education institutions.

    Cape Verde: No to COVID-19 and gender-based violence in schools!
  13. News 28 January 2021

    76th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation: German, Israeli, and Polish trade unions unite to say “Never again”

    To commemorate the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz, Education International’s member organisations in Germany, Israel, and Poland organised an e-seminar on 27 January entitled “A child witness of history”.

    76th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation: German, Israeli, and Polish trade unions unite to say “Never again”