Civil Society Network for Public Education in the Americas - CSNPEA

Calderon Theatre, Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico
November 3 -5, 2000

The three countries were well represented at the Trinational Conference:

From Canada:  representatives from two national federations, the Canadian Teachers Federation and the Canadian Association of University Teachers; two provincial federations, from British Columbia and Manitoba; the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation; two locals of the BC Teachers’ Federation; four locals of the Canadian Association of University Professors, representing the University of Manitoba, Laurentian, Carleton and Mount Saint Vincent.  Representatives from the Federation of University Professors of Quebec and the Central des Sindicats du Quebec (formerly CEQ) also attended, as well as an executive member of Education International.

From the United States:  representatives from the American Association of University Professors in Washington, DC and the California Faculty Association.

From Mexico:  union representatives from eight states, representing both basic and post-secondary education.  From SNTE, members of the CNTE, Sections 9, 10 18 and 22 (Cedes), democratic teachers from Section 32 (Veracruz), 23 (Puebla) CNTE Zacatecas and CNTE Aguascalientes; university Unions STAUACH, SITUAM, STUNAM, SUPAUAQ, SUNTUAP and, acting as host SPAUAZ, INAH academics, Academic delegation from the UPN, from the Iberoamerican University Workers Union and from the Union of Academic Personnel of the University of Guadalajara.  Well-known academics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Metropolitan, and the autonomous universities of Chapingo, Queretero and Zacatecas, as well as IPN; UNAM students representing the General Strike Committee; students from the Universities of Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí and Querétero; parents and workers from the health care sector.

A delegate from Argentina, representing CTERA, also attended, as well as a representative from the Civil Society Network for Public Education in the Americas.
 

Final Resolutions 
Post-Secondary Education Plenary

There were three general resolutions:

1) To encourage the continuation of the Trinational’s work
2) To strengthen Trinational communication and
3) To promote closer links between unions in the Trinational

Thirteen actions were proposed in order to achieve these aims:

1)  To encourage the continuation of the work:

1. Forums, conferences and symposiums in each country before each Trinational Conference.
2. Lobbying to influence legislation, particularly regarding the financing and character of public education.
3. Trinational research projects to devise stronger alternative models for education.
4. Organize distribution of Trinational Coalition publications; participate in events other than those organized by the unions.
5. Maintain networks of academic exchange.

2)  To strengthen Trinational communication:

1. Create a Trinational Education Council to disseminate proposals, research, alternative projects etc.
2. Design and maintain a Coalition web page.
3. Create and maintain a Trinational Coalition database on educational legislation, working conditions, social movements and unions etc.
4. Broaden the base of the Trinational Coalition to include other sectors from the educational field.

3) To promote closer links between Trinational unions:

1. Define, disseminate and defend common goals: maintain professors’ control over material (teaching, research and university extension); professorial freedom;  protect intellectual property;  fight for labour stability;  improvement of education and dignified work conditions;  demand respect for the autonomous universities and for the human rights of professors, parents and students; ensure sufficient government financial support for public education and reduce government subsidies for private education;  promote support among unions; professional 
2. development of university teachers (teaching-research-dissemination); contextualization (regional and institutional) of evaluation tools and process, against the commercialization of evaluation;  democratize access to public post-secondary education; reclaim the image of teachers and of public education and of the role of unions. 
3. Establish an agreement on Trinational solidarity: contacts, coordination of common actions, communications policy, etc. 
4. Hold Trinational union workshops on salary and contract revisions, evaluation alternatives, alternative models of education, etc. 
5. Promote a Health Code, for teachers and schools, for the American continent.

Support was declared for the strengthening and consolidation of the Trinational Coalition and in order to achieve this a series of proposals were grouped into various objectives:

1.  Research

1. Share results (Web Pages)
2. Define topics and organize research teams. The topics identified as priorities were: 

i) financing; 
ii) standardized evaluation; 
iii) merit pay; 
iv) decentralization 
v) the teaching profession under attack; 
vi) virtual and distance education as a substitute for quality direct education and; 
vii) intellectual property.

1. Improve through use of the Internet
2. Distribute results of this conference to union locals
3. Share publications - send articles on national situations to participants in the Coalition to be published in union newsletters
4. Coalition web page (use the existing space in the Red SEPA web page)

It should include the common ways in which we are affected by globalization and free trade; define our Mission; and issue statements of solidarity with the struggles of education workers in each country.

In terms of our Mission, we adopt the following points as essential: 
Universal access to education because it is a fundamental social right in democratic societies 
Sufficient financing for education 
Equality in access and quality of education 
Decent working conditions for teachers and a guarantee of our rights in collective agreements 
Teachers should continue strengthening the struggle for public education and include parents in this struggle 
Education cannot be separated from struggles for change and social justice  g) we need to continue to expand our common actions to confront the commercializing effects on education of neoliberalism and free trade.

4.   Strengthen Links

1. Through teacher exchanges
2. Build closer relations union to union (local to local)

5.  Solidarity

Undertake actions in solidarity with the struggles of students, teachers and education workers for the defense of public education and for better working conditions.
In particular, we propose:

1. a campaign of support for the struggle of Mexican teachers for an increase to the Education Budget and against the commercialization of  education.
2. accompany Canadian teachers in their struggle to defend public education (particularly those at Memorial University who are currently on strike). 

1. Trinational series of protests around the Summit of the Americas to be held in Quebec in April, 2001 (in each country actions will be carried out against the disastrous effect of free trade on education, specifically demanding sufficient education budgets and saying “no” to the use of public funds to finance private education).
2. Have as many delegates as possible attending the events in Quebec.
3. Carry out campaigns against the commercialization of education with the participation of unions both in the education sector and in other sectors, and with parents and students.