"International Student Movement"

Around the world students, pupils, teachers, parents and employees have been protesting against the increasing commercialisation and privatisation of public education and for free and emancipatory education in the past decade.

This year will see people uniting in this struggle on the international and global level for the "Global Wave of Action for Education".

The following aims unite us worldwide:

What are we struggling against?

• The effects of the current economic system on people and education systems:
  → tuition fees or any form of hidden fees excluding people to access education
  

  → public education primarily aligned to serve the (labor) market
  → turning education into a commodity (like all other aspects of life)
  → increasing influence of business interests on basic budgets for public education
  → increasing budget cuts on public education worldwide
  → commodification and exploitation of labor within educational institutions

• Discrimination and exclusion within any educational institution based on...
  → nationality
  → performance
  → political activities
  → gender
  → sexual orientation
  → religion
  → ethnic background
  → socio-economic background (education systems are currently set up so that people without money can't participate equally)

What are we struggling for?

• CONTENT:
  → free and emancipatory education as a human right: education should primarily serve the individual's interest to be emancipated, that means: be enabled to critically reflect and understand the powerstructures and environment surrounding him- & herself
  → education as a public good serving public interests
  → acadamic freedom and choice: freedom to pursue any educational discipline

• ACCESS:
  → free of monetary mechanisms of payment by participants and any kind of discrimination and exclusion and therefore freely accessible to all individuals
  → substantial funding of all educational institutions, no matter if deemed profitable or not

• STRUCTURE:
  → all educational entities/institutions should be democratically structured

Why on the global level?

• impacts of current economic system are manifested globally (forces of competition unfold globally!), therefore our struggle also needs to be united on the global level

We stand united against any sort of repression by governments worldwide directed at people involved in the struggle for free and emancipatory education.

 ~ one world - one struggle ~

Mo >>

Ok, we struggle against capitalism (even if you don't name it in the text), but also against the fact that governments decide what we have to learn and what we DON'T have to learn. And how, which is also a (the!) priority.

I don't know if the people will be very interested to write this text. But if they are, I think it is not enough at all and they won't agree on it (I mean, people who usually meet in different counter-summits/congress).

I think we should dare write something radical. That doesn't mean arrogant, as some of our productions (those who know what I mean will guess I think)... but just something that dare say that we are students only because they give us money for that... (and they have reasons to do it) say that we want to choose and make our education ourselves.

I think we should also dare to give some references (people, ideas of education...), not as authorities, but as interesting ideas that could be developed. At the European Education Congress, they talked a lot about Jacques Rancière, Paulo Freire, and maybe some other people. We should have a theoretical discussion about it (also based on what we did in our local groups), not to build a "ready to use program" but to give leads... and to prove to the people that something else is possible ! To help their creativity to grow...
I think we also should refer to the christians origins of this school organization. With steps we have to cross. With grading. With rating based on obedience. Sanctions. Etc. To say they still use it to keep us at a walking pace whereas it is proved it doesn't work. (and it's also very very dangerous)

Denis >>

I think it's totally unrealistic to ask students to fight against their teachers directly. It's also not coherent. You enter the university to be accepted by them or just to keep the money the state gives you for studying. If they don't like you, you will never have the place expected. You will also have more difficulties to pass a stupid exam just because they don't like you (especially left-wing teachers).
Moreover, the 2 or 3 firsts years, you learn nothing. So you don't have the time to do the child in the classroom saying "oh my teacher is a tyrant".
We should tell the students to leave the university, or just let them continue to receive this money from the state if they enjoy this kind of work (the opportunities to meet interesting people, etc)... but expecting to be in conflict directly with the authority is schizophrenic I think. It is better to play with the rules. But I think it concerns a minority and the majority should stop "working for free" and losing their time.
==> but we all have completely different opinions about it, so we shouldn't state on it. "what you have to do now" is a bit authoritarian :)

both >>

I am realizing that "the text which made start" the 68 movement in fRance said something interesting to illustrate what I've just developed :
"[the smartest students] do so for the simple reason that they have understood the system, and so despise it and know themselves to be its enemies. They are in the system for what they can get out of it--particularly grants. Exploiting the contradiction (...) they calmly carry the germs of sedition to the highest level"

in english and french : http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/display/4
in german : http://letzterhieb.blogsport.de/extras/situationistische-internationale-...
=> enjoy!

I am sorry. I am too lazy to write the text which would be perfect for me... :) just able to criticize!
(moreover it depends a lot of the situations, I think french schools are known to be very bad, and in universities, the situation depends a lot of the teachers and departments)

Adeline

> What are we struggling against?
>> *
>> The effects of the current economic system on people and education systems:
> → tuition fees or any form of fees excluding people in accessing education and equally participating in education
> → public education aligned to serve the (labor) market
> → turning education into a commodity (like all other aspects of life)
> → (increasing) influence of business interests on basic budgets for public education
> → (increasing) budget cuts on public education worldwide
> → commodification and exploitation of labor within educational institutions
>

If we're compiling a full list, possibly add:
* Undemocratic, un-elected, unrepresentative, secretive governance of educational institutions
* Secret and hidden budget, income, and expense practices, hidden payments, cronyism, and graft
* Excessive pay-packages for education executives and athletic coaches at the expense of students and staff
* Prioritization of research towards commercially valuable patents rather than open knowledge freely available to all
* Prioritization of income-generating research grants ahead of education and general and basic research
* University cooperation and complicity with state repression against immigrants and political dissidents

Bruce

RE: This section:

"Discrimination and exclusion within any educational institution based on...
→ nationality"

I would be careful about naming nationality as a basis for non-discrimination in education . . . because that is the term used by corporatizers in their efforts to destroy local control of education. Systems in various countries which provide lower tuition, or no tuition, for local people (in the U.S., we call this "in-state tuition") based on the taxes they have paid and the other investments they have made in public education -- these systems are under attack.

I understand that by nationality, we mean here essentially the same thing as "race" and that race (like nationality) is a social, not biological, construct. But we probably should use the word "race" here, and not nationality.

all the best - Ben Manski

Why do you continue to do as if all the people agreed on your text, Mo ?

You can't ally with everybody. It is only a dream (or a nightmare ^^). I'm not calling to do a selection. I'm just saying : don't look like your enemies or you will attract them. Try to gather your friends first (and then, we don't know what will happen...).
You are too ambitious.

I don't like referring to history as in a holy thing. But it proved that it didn't work... in an alliance, the Big eat the Small (in the blood - yuck).

Imagine a person who doesn't really understand the differences we are talking about... you would have to justify : "ok, I put it in the flyer, but I don't really agree on. The first step is to say "we want free education", the second "we want education free from the market", then "free from the state", then (in 30 years, when people will be ready) "free from the teachers", and blablabla"
That is impossible to defend. If you just say : "I want free and emancipatory education" then we all can agree and define it together. It is not exclusive. Because if you say you are against the privatization of education, I don't follow you, I just DON'T CARE about it ! And a young teacher in philosophy told me one day that it was not even a "privatization". Then if he is right, it is ridiculous...
And I am not saying we can't denunce the effects of it on people and their lives... but we can't do as if it were the only factor... the big devil, oh-my-god. If "privatization" disappear, we all be liberated!
It's like saying we are against : "Discrimination and exclusion within any educational institution". How can you judge that it is better for me to be integrated in this shit ?
It depends on my own judgement and each situation... Discrimination shows the reality. Then if you don't change the reality but only its representation, I don't think it's an advance...

Maybe I look further, but at least, that's logical !

"Joint Statement"
for the "Global Wave of Action for Education"

The impacts of the current global economic system causes of individual struggles worldwide. While applying local pressure to influence our individual local/regional politics and legislation we must always be aware of the global and structural nature of our problems and share our tactics, experiences in organizations, and theoretical knowledge to learn from each other. Short-term changes may be achieved on the local level, but great change will only happen if we unite globally.

Education systems worldwide do what they are intended to do within the economic and state system(s): to select, train and create ignorance and submission. We unite for a different education system and a different life.

We stand united against any sort of repression by governments worldwide directed at people involved in the struggle for free and emancipatory education.

The following undersigned support the statement above, pledge to spread it and get actively involved in the "Global Wave of Action for Education" as well as focus to increase networking efforts of education activist groups worldwide in the future.

Want to support this statement by having your (group) name listed below? Just send an e-mail to: united.for.education@gmail.com

~ one world - one struggle ~

[list of groups supporting this statement]

[having a list of links with theoretical text recommendations linked to the struggle for free and emancipatory education]

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Still to be discussed and somehow included:

• "The so called Bologna Process is aimed at implementing education systems that primarily train people in skills serving the labour market. It reduces the costs of training/educating a person, shortens the time of studying and produces an underqualified workforce [,the Bachelor, at the same time maintaining a false high count of 'highly educated' people.]"

• "increasing influence of business interests on basic budget for education:
  the sponsors renew our infrastructures (build classrooms), technical colleges working on research for companies, all colleges are required to have research and are encouraged to link them with capital and seek financing from the private sector. the state then adds its extra funds for the most succesfull. that is in the new law on universities (in preparations to be voted on). private universities can also apply for state funding. the state tries to push the 'making money' logic to its institutions. e.g. 'ruđer' (a technical school) has 85% state funding that is to be reduced now. they argue they are profitable, and they should be arguing they have quality scientific research. we must rise against the logic of public institutions being forced to earn money, but also bare in mind that many of these institutions exist so that scientists could make extra cash"

• "We only believe in grass roots self-organization and just pretend to bring our creativity in these movements, not to lead it."