S2 Crisis in further and higher education -Against fees and privatisation, for access and democracy Friday 1900-2100
This seminar focuses on the attacks on post-compulsory education. The Bologna process exemplifies the emerging businessdriven EU consensus, modelled on the American system with a hierarchy of types of institutions producing different types of labour-power.
At the bottom, employer-dictated vocational training programmes meeting local labour market needs. At the top, research-rich universities competing in the global market. Student fees mean education is seen as an individual investment, not a public good, deterring those unable to pay.
For the teachers the diet is increased workloads, worsening staff-student ratios, the privatisation of research, and declining pay. The seminar will discuss resistance to these attacks from throughout Europe.
Speakers in the seminar from teacher unions are Maurice Hérin from Snesup-FSU France, Yasemin Ayaz from UDU Turkey, and Maureen O'Mara from NATFHE, UK (chairUnion (Belgium). alternative policies. person). From students unions, Kat Fletcher (NUS, UK), Heledd Fychan (USI, Ireland), Triestino Mariniello (UDU/UDS, Italy), and Christine Scholz (FZU, Germany). S3 Globalisation, education and the European
This is the first of two seminars on education on the Saturday. They begin with an analysis of national policies in the context of the EU and capitalist globalisation.
The speakers are Angelika Stridinger from OeH, the students union in Austria, Régine Tassi from Attac-France, Gabriella Giorgetti from CGIL-Scuola teachers union (Italy) and Marnie Holborow from the SIPTU teachers union (Ireland), and Nico Hirtt from APED
The Chair is Angela Rogers, national president) of the AUT lecturers union (UK). S5 Another education is possible: opposition and resistance to neo-liberalism
The focus of the second seminar on Saturday is on strategies for resistance and on
Speakers are Georg Wiesmaier from the Peace Education group of the GEW teachers union, Hamburg, Germany, Franck Poupeau from France, Elettra Angelinas from the Centro Studi per la Scuola Pubblica (Italy), Jon Berry from the Anti-SATs Alliance (UK), Vittorio Cogliati Dezza from the Legambiente education movement in Italy, and Bob Peterson from the US journal and education collective Rethinking Schools.
The seminar will be chaired by representatives of two teacher unions: Ana Gaspar (Fenprof, Portugal) and Pascal Bianchini (Sud Education, France) Workshop: Rethinking Schools
This workshop follows the S5 seminar on Saturday. It is introduced by Bob Peterson, a leading US radical teacher and activist.
The discussion will focus on alternatives and on the next steps in a strategy for building the left in education. S4 Education is not for sale: education as a public service not a business
This seminar on Sunday has a range of international speakers from teachers unions: Gisèle Jean (FSU, France), Piero Bernocchi (Cobas-Scuola, Italy), Richard Hatcher (NUT, of Turkey). Union of Teachers (UK). UK), and Emir Ali Simsek (Teachers Union
In addition Andrey Kolganov will be speaking from Alternatives Russia.
The seminar is chaired by Beatriz Quirós of the STES teachers union (Spain). R6 Challenging racism in education
Also on Sunday, unfortunately at the same time, this seminar brings together speakers from black and minority ethnic campaigns -Pav Akhtar from the NUS Black Students Campaign (UK), Karen Chouhan (1990 Trust, UK), Aydin Mehmet Ali (Day-mer Turkish and Kurdish community centre, UK) and Piroska Kiraly Kissne/Edina Barogh from the Alliance of Public Personages for Roma Gypsies, Hungary, and from UNEF, the French students union (Anne Delbende), from the Pädagoginnen und Pädagogen für den Frieden teachers group in Germany (Horst Bethge) and the USTEC teachers union in Catalunya (Rosa Cañadell).
The seminar is chaired jointly by Mary Compton (president) and Roger King (National Executive member) of the National