1.Shaken by a variety of serious upheavals including the recent pandemic,
socio-economic and energy crises, climate change threats and national disasters,
war, armed conflicts, and other, European societies find themselves in state of
increasing political and ideological polarisation, divisive nationalist
tendencies, xenophobia, hate speech and radicalisation, socio-economic
inequalities and social exclusion. More and more people in Europe experience a sense
of isolation and disconnection, especially in education institutions where they
should learn about being an active member of society and their role in society.
Education, often regarded as a beacon of European values, equality and
progress, finds itself entangled in a complex web of challenges stemming from
various socio-political contexts.
2.At a global and European level, the unprecedented rise of far-right and radicalised
movements casts a shadow over the principles of inclusion and tolerance that
underpin our education systems. Recent trends highlight the emergence of
alarming phenomena such as a new wave of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-migrant
and anti-refugees discourses and continued anti-feminism. These manifestations
of hate not only threaten the democratic foundation of our societies but also
pose significant challenges for education personnel striving to foster
inclusive and equitable learning environments.
3.Furthermore, some governments and politicians are using the classroom as
a battlefield for their political ideas and education for separating people and
inciting hatred among them, re-writing history books to favour a nationalist
approach, removing critical thinking topics or sexual education from the
curriculum, dismissing teachers who do not agree with the government ideology,
etc. Direct physical attacks against education personnel for teaching
democratic citizenship and critical thinking are also on the rise.
4.Among the difficulties encountered by teachers, we
must be attentive to the pressure exerted by sectarian movements which lead
teachers to practice self-censorship when they have to address certain subjects
related to their course. We cannot tolerate teachers avoiding to teach part of
their curriculum for fear of being threatened with physical or psychological
harm or by attacking their professional integrity.
5.The
professional autonomy of teachers has been increasingly violated, exacerbated
by the disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This erosion of
autonomy not only undermines the effectiveness of pedagogical practices but
also hampers efforts to promote inclusive education.
6.Among the numerous challenges is the issue of unprecedented
increase of violence in the educational institutions, including cyber violence
and harassment. Female teachers, in particular, find themselves at the
frontline, vulnerable to both verbal and physical aggression from various
sources, including parents. Violence is also among one of the major reasons for
young people leaving the teaching profession early in their career.
7.In the digital age, social media platforms have become
potent tools for the propagation of hate and separation, posing significant
challenges for education personnel tasked with navigating this complex terrain.
Additionally, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) introduces new
uncertainties and risks that necessitate careful consideration in the pursuit
of inclusive education.
8.Increasing divisiveness and politicalpolarisationamong affiliates of
education trade unions themselves also makes unions’ internal work on ensuring
equality, democratic participation, inclusion and political education among
union’s affiliates especially critical against the indoctrination, populistic
propaganda and fake news.
Believes that:
1.Education trade unions play a crucial role in not only defending
education from political attempts to spread one-sided views, fake news,
populistic and xenophobic ideologies, and gender and other stereotypes, but
also in ensuring that European education systems promote equality and
diversity, support and celebrate them in order to create inclusive working and
learning environments, especially for personnel and students with disabilities
and special needs, as they commit to in the ETUCE Action Plan on Equality,
Diversity and Inclusion.
2.Commitment to inclusive education that promotes
democratic principles and aims to unite people is a social investment into the
well-being of the whole society where a social model of an inclusive and
peaceful society is created to benefit all its members. Such education also means
safe and secure learning and teaching environments based on a positive education
environment with a democratic culture of peace, tolerance, equity,
inclusiveness, participation and cooperation where the freedoms of opinion and
expression are respected and discussions among all members of the education
community are encouraged and promoted.
Asserts the commitment of ETUCE and member organisations to:
1.Challenge, oppose and campaign against all forms of
xenophobia, hate speech, misogyny, sexism, racism and hatred towards any ethnicity,
gender or sexual orientation, religion, migratory status, abilities, or any
other background;
2.Demand from European governments to assess the
implementation of the Paris Declaration on ‘Promoting
citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination
through education’ which was adopted in 2015, and to re-visit the commitments
made in it;
3.Embed a curriculum that aligns with the democratic
values of equality, inclusion, tolerance, non-discrimination and solidarity,
presents diversity as an added value, fosters the UN Sustainable Development
Goals, and challenges the existing biases and stereotypes through development
of critical thinking, digital citizenship and media literacy;
4.Ensure that hate speech and manipulation of education
are removed from textbooks and any other teaching and learning materials, as
well as that biased teaching materials are not imposed on teachers in order to
mainstream ideas that lead to discrimination, intolerance, and an atmosphere
that is not safe for teachers and students (both within the teaching practice
and curriculum);
5.Take proactive measures to safeguard democracy through
and within education, in the face of rising challenges from populist movements
and extreme-right ideologies, through advocating for teaching for democratic
citizenship and transmitting human rights-based values, in addition to carrying
on the trade union tradition of fighting for democracy;
6.Demand that
governments invest significant public resources in an inclusive and peaceful
society that is based on solid democratic values, as well as in an education
that strengthens equality, diversity and inclusion with the view toprepare open-minded,
culturally sensitive and responsible citizens and that governments reconsider
the investment of public resources in sectors and activities that might
perpetuate violence and hatred. ;
7.Advocate for initial and continuous professional development programmes both
for education personnel and for school leaders to provide adequate and relevant
knowledge and tools on how to address hate speech, all kinds of violence,
bullying and harassment (including cyber) and discrimination on all possible
grounds in the educational institutions;
8.Demand to strengthen the focus on the well-being of
education personnel and students as the key condition to education for an
inclusive and peaceful society, for example through removing the unnecessary
administrative burden from teachers, addressing the excessive workload, orhaving mental health policies and
practices in everyeducation institution; To succeed in inclusive
education, teachers should be able to refer to specific staff who could help
them manage specific needed pupils and should benefit a specific training.
9.Differentiate between governments and political
parties with far-rightviews and
citizens (and potentially union affiliates) who support such political parties,
and develop specific strategies on how to address them: while unions stand up
to governments and political parties populistdiscourses and attacks, it is important for them to have adialogue with citizens who
support far-right views (e.g. parents, teachers, especially students) and
listen to their needs, potentially trying to change their views;
10.Addressing the potential division and political polarisation
among a union’s affiliates through dialogue and political education, while applying
a zero tolerance policy towards any forms of intolerance, hate speech, discrimination,
and violence within trade unions’ structures;
11.Promote the use of
inclusive language and inclusive forms of communication (e.g. both digital and
printed, social media) in society, education systems (including employment),
and within unions themselves.
Uniting against separation and hate - Advocating for inclusion and equity
