Teachers oppose WTO agreement

A CONFERENCE representing almost 25 million teachers from around the world has made a stand against a landmark WTO [World Trade Organisation] agreement on the commercialisation of education.

  Education International said it rejected the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) which in 1994 formally declared education to be a tradeable commodity.
  "We oppose in principle the commodification of education and research services by the WTO and GATS," said a resolution submitted by the National Tertiary Education Union of Australia.
  EI, a confederation of some 300 teaching unions and organisations from 155 countries, held its third congress in Jomtien, a seaside resort south-east of Bangkok.
  The 1300 delegates and observers met over 5 days at the end of last month under the theme of education in a global economy. Topics included the commercialisation of education, teachers' employment rights and the effects of information technology.

  The congress concluded with a plea for "public education for all."
  Rob Crozier, executive director of the Association of University Staff of New Zealand, which supported the resolution, said governments had a responsibility to fund education services.
  "We must move away from the free market, increase government funding and reduce the intense competition between universities." he said.
  EI said that Australia and New Zealand were regarded as "experimental labs" for the liberalisation of education.
  "New Zealand is an interesting example of what happened to universities because of business-oriented rules," Mr Crozier said.
  Educational institutions there froze their fees in 2001 in return for a very small increase in government funding.
  "All New Zealand universities are now experiencing funding crises of some magnitude," Mr Crozier said.
  "A number of institutions are close to financial collapse."