The decision to have five seminars on education at the ESF turned out to be fully justified.
The three seminars on "Crisis in higher and further education? Access, fees, privatisation and democracy.", Globalisation, education and the European Union", and "Another education is possible: opposition and resistance to neo-liberalism" each attracted over 100 people.
On the Sunday morning the two education seminars clashed, and also took place at the same time as the Assembly of the Social Movements, but still attracted 150 to "Education is not for sale: education as a public service not a business" and 60 to "Challenging racism in education".
On the platforms were speakers from 29 organisations in 12 countries, including major teacher, lecturer and student unions. From the UK were AUT, NATHE, NATHE and NUS.
Reports from each country confirmed that a convergence is taking place in national education policies around the neo(N liberal agenda. It became clear that privatisation is the issue around which future common activities can be built.
The European Day of Action on 19 March, called by the Assembly of the Social Movements, will be a focus.
So too will be the European day of action against privatisation and for education as a public service which the representatives of the FSU, the main French teachers' union, have agreed to launch a call for.
There is a planning meeting on 11 December in Paris,
OND which will need to be an open process if a real mobilisation is to be built.
The other important outcome of the ESF was a strengthening of links among left activists in education.
The proposal for a European conference on education and privatisation was not supported by the large teachers unions, but in the absence of any activity on this by the European Trade Union Committee on Education, the 'official' body, such an initiative remains a priority.