FINAL
DECLARATION OF THE HEMISPHERIC FORUM ON EDUCATION
Second Peoples’ Summit
of the Americas
Québec City, April
17 and 18, 2001
We have come together
at the Hemispheric Forum on Education of the Second Peoples’ Summit of
the Americas. We represent millions of people in the Americas who work
or have worked in education every day. We are teachers, professional
and support personnel, professors, representatives from community organizations
and NGOs, unionists, students. We commit ourselves daily to the development
of children, young people and adults and to the sustainable development
of all our communities.
We believe that new and
different directions must guide social and educational policies in the
Americas.
1. We defend national
sovereignty in education and the right of peoples to self-determination
without outside interference.
2. We believe that concrete
measures must urgently be taken to eliminate the poverty and destitution
afflicting more than one hundred million children. We believe in
the need for a viable development model, one that is built on fair distribution
of wealth, since it alone can allow all individuals to live in dignity
and to enjoy conditions that will guarantee their full development.
We reject and condemn current policies, particularly the neo-liberal policies,
which increase inequalities among and within the nations of the hemisphere.
We are outraged by this situation. It is time to put a stop to the
squandering of human potential, which stems primarily from violence, injustice
and the degradation of the environment.
3. We observe, from our
collective experience and reflection, that neither domestic educational
policies nor investments have measured up to the challenges to be met and
the commitments made by the heads of State of the hemisphere in Santiago,
Chile, in 1998. Even though access to the different levels of education
is improving, it is not leading to educational success and quality; inequalities
persist and are even growing; illiteracy has barely receded; teaching,
working and learning conditions are deteriorating.
4. We firmly believe in
the need to do better and to find alternatives in education. The
solutions necessitate joint action by all members of our society. We assert
that our educational systems require significant democratic transformations.
Through our organizations, we will continue to work responsibly and in
solidarity to effect changes providing for the needs and well-being of
our peoples.
5. We affirm that education,
including not only general education, but also vocational or technical
training, is a fundamental universal social right which must be guaranteed
through a public service coming under the jurisdiction of and financed
by the State. We will therefore join forces to resist the authoritarian
and market-driven policies that now prevail in many parts of the hemisphere
and are leading to growing privatization in education.
6. Education is not a
commodity that must serve to make corporations richer, students are not
products, they and their parents are not consumers of education, and education
personnel are not mere service providers. We oppose adamantly the inclusion
of education in any agreement on the liberalization of trade in services,
such as the FTAA agreement. We also object to the commercialization
of education as well as to the use of commercial discourse and the determination
to impose the cost-benefit ratio as a parameter in education.
7. We declare that quality
comprehensive education must prepare free and critical-minded individuals,
active and committed citizens who show respect for diversity and human
rights, are open to the world, are concerned about the future of the planet
and sustainable development, and have acquired a critical understanding
of globalization. Education must prepare men and women for life,
the work world and lifelong learning, not train them narrowly for a specific
job.
8. We assert that basic
education, vocational or technical training and higher education must take
into account food safety, sustainable farming, sustainable energy development
and environmental protection issues, as well as matters relating to human
rights, democracy, intercultural relations, responsible consumption and
fair trade with the express purpose of building a viable future.
9. We also defend quality
education as an instrument of social justice and emancipation for all individuals
throughout their lives. It promotes equality between men and women,
regardless of their ethnic origin, sexual orientation, beliefs or philosophical
choices and learning potential. It trains human beings to prefer
co-operation and solidarity to boundless competition, to seek peace as
well as fair and peaceful conflict resolution, and to oppose violence and
militarization.
10. We struggle for free
and quality public education that is fully accessible at all levels and
throughout life. We are convinced that quality, compulsory education
for all, young people and adults alike, should provide for a minimum of
eleven years of schooling. We reject the adage that success for the
greatest number means mediocrity. On the contrary, we argue that
quality education is impossible without democratization and the elimination
of inequalities.
11. We intend to fight
racism, exclusion and marginalization affecting particularly students from
Black and Aboriginal communities. We declare that students with disabilities
or adjustment or learning difficulties, working or itinerant street youth
and war-affected children must have access to special services ensuring
their schooling. Finally, we demand that particular attention be
given to rural education and respect for rural culture.
12. We uphold a vision
for adult education that guarantees the right to public education for all
adults. In addition, we urge governments to create the conditions conducive
to a culture of lifelong education by increasing learning opportunities
in the workplace and in the living environment.
13. We oppose the concept
of quality narrowly defined on the basis of standardized tests that confine
education to what can be measured easily and fail to address the specific
needs of students. We demand the withdrawal of these tests that are
used as an instrument of exclusion.
14. We intend continuing
to contribute to the development of pedagogical models and approaches that
draw from personal experience, respond to our peoples' social, economic
and cultural needs, and aim to lower failure, dropout and exclusion rates.
We endorse democratic governance of education at all levels and within
all institutions, which is based on the involvement of personnel, students
and communities.
15. We recognize the importance
of services that support education in the school setting (specialized personnel,
libraries, etc.) and the contribution of other institutions (public libraries,
educational radio and television, etc.). We therefore also acknowledge
the contribution and expertise of workers in the areas of popular education
and community action.
16. We affirm the need
for quality, free and public higher education in which academic freedom
and institutional autonomy are respected and research serves the development
of society instead of being subjected to the needs and requirements of
private corporations.
17. We believe in an education
that shows respect for religious and philosophical choices, the right to
secular education and to freedom of conscience, and the right to equality.
18. We support the struggle
of Aboriginal nations and Native peoples for control of their educational
institutions to ensure respect for and promotion of their language, culture
and heritage, and for an education that values and promotes ethnic diversity
as well as cultural and linguistic plurality. Public education must make
room for the history and culture of these peoples and personnel must be
trained accordingly.
19. We appreciate the
importance for national minority linguistic communities to take control
of their educational institutions to ensure the development and promotion
of their language and culture.
20. We demand respect
for union rights, including the right to collective bargaining. We will
continue to struggle for real professionalization of education personnel,
fair salaries attesting the importance of their work and enabling them
to live in dignity, as well as adequate retirement provisions. We
will pursue our fight for the improvement of working, teaching and learning
conditions. We also demand health and safety standards that adequately
protect both personnel and students and translate into a health code for
public schools.
21. We denounce the unequal
treatment of women, who make up the vast majority of education personnel.
They must enjoy adequate maternity protection. We are committed to securing
for them hiring and working conditions that are equal to those of their
male counterparts.
22. We maintain that the
changes needed for democratic education require sound pre-service training
for education personnel as well as continuing professional development
that is free and accessible to all.
23. We recognize the importance
of making effective use of new information and communication technologies
(NICT) for educational purposes, so as to meet the needs and priorities
identified by communities and not those of commercial interests.
We support in particular the creation of networks for the sharing of knowledge
and the promotion of a co-operative work culture. However, attention
should be given to the risks associated with a narrow use of NICT or one
that attempts to circumvent national sovereignty in education. We
object to the use of virtual and distance education as a substitute for
direct, quality education.
24. To ensure adequate
and fair funding for public education, we demand the elimination of the
illegitimate external debt of countries in the Americas, the abolishment
of structural adjustment policies, an increase in unconditional development
assistance to education, and the introduction of a financial transactions
tax.
25. We are committed to
increasing hemispheric solidarity in education:
a) by co-operating
with like-minded regional organizations and supporting the plan of action
appended to this declaration;
b) by reinforcing a vast
movement to promote quality public education for all, together with union
and peoples' organizations and with organizations representing students
and parents in each of our countries;
c) by participating in
the development, monitoring and evaluation of educational policies;
d) by supporting the
integration into teaching of the principles and values of education for
sustainability.
26. We remind the heads of
State of the Americas of the urgent need to honour the commitments that
they made in Jomtien in 1990 at the World Conference on Education for All
and reaffirmed in Dakar in April 2000 during the World Forum on Education.
We also remind them of
the commitments that they made in Santiago in 1998 to take measures to
guarantee access to education and academic success, to eradicate illiteracy
and to dramatically reduce inequalities.
With these objectives
in mind, we demand that the heads of State pledge their governments:
a) to reject
the inclusion of education in any agreement on trade in services, including
the FTAA agreement;
b) to increase to at
least 8 percent of the GDP the share of collective wealth earmarked for
public education;
c) to reduce budgets
for military expenditures and reinvest corresponding funds in social programs,
particularly in education;
d) to introduce a three-year
investment plan based on specific literacy, schooling, increased access
and success objectives, as well as on targets to reduce inequalities, paying
special attention to the situation of girls and women;
e) to establish, enhance
and strengthen early childhood services, in particular health care and
educational child care, and render preschool education for 4- and 5-year-old
children compulsory and free;
f) to develop and implement,
in consultation with civil society, action programs designed to create
greater social justice, mainly through support for children and families
to reduce inequalities;
g) to ensure adherence
to all declarations, pacts and agreements which they signed, in particular
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, especially with
regard to the elimination of child labour;
h) to make every effort
to ensure that underschooled children and adults achieve literacy and adequate
schooling, with the close co-operation of educational and union organizations;
i) to ensure equal and
full access to quality higher education;
j) to fund higher education
research at levels guaranteeing its independence;
k) to ensure that educational
reforms meet the needs of the most disadvantaged peoples and populations
and are developed jointly with teacher unions and individuals concerned;
l) to promote cultural
and educational community media and eliminate restrictions on their development;
m) to put an end to the
current privatization of education.
27. In conclusion, we strongly
reaffirm that education is a right, not a privilege. The democracy
to which we aspire is one of equality, freedom for all and solidarity.
It is rooted in human dignity, proper living conditions and respect for
the political, economic, cultural and social rights of all.
APPENDIX
PLAN
OF ACTION
To ensure the attainment
of the objectives stated in the Joint Declaration adopted by the participants
in the Hemispheric Forum on Education, held as part of the second Peoples'
Summit of the Americas, it is agreed that the host organizations will seek
the necessary financial resources to set up a temporary secretariat which,
with the co-operation of existing regional and international organizations
to ensure representation of all levels of education, could:
A. Follow up the Hemispheric
Forum by distributing copies of the guest speakers’ addresses as well as
the background paper and the Joint Declaration adopted by the Forum.
B. Monitor commitments
made by the heads of State with regard to education during the Summits
of the Americas held in Santiago (1998) and in the City of Québec
(2001), as well as work done in education under the direction of the ministers
of Education of the hemisphere or organizations designated by them, especially
in relation to hemispheric education indicators and evaluation projects,
and disseminate results of monitoring activities.
C. Collect, with the co-operation
of national and regional union organizations as well as non-governmental
organizations, documents pertaining to measures taken in the various countries
of the hemisphere to carry out the plan of action of the Summits of the
Americas, and ensure their distribution.
D. Pursue organizational
action and strategies to preserve public education as a right of individuals
and peoples, and to promote it as a superior alternative to privatization
and commercialization.
E. Examine the possibility
of undertaking joint action to demand from the heads of State the exclusion
of education as a service which could be “merchandised” through a free
trade agreement.
For their part, organizations
represented at the Forum commit themselves:
-
to co-operate in the implementation
of this plan of action and disseminate as widely as possible the Joint
Declaration for information, training and education purposes;
-
to encourage participation
in the Forum on Education of the World Social Forum to be held in Porto
Alegre early in 2002.
It is also agreed:
-
to distribute the documents
discussed at the Hemispheric Forum on Education to the participants in
the Third Summit of the Americas and to the ministers of Education in the
Americas;
-
to invite unions and social
organizations to participate in the campaign for the defence of public
education in each country of the Americas;
-
to ask the Continental Social
Alliance to convene another Peoples’ Summit as part of the next Summit
of the Americas.
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