CESI’s Expert Commission EDUC: Towards better working conditions for the teachers

On May 23, CESI´s Expert Commission ‘EDUC’ took place amidst teachers’ unions striking in many EU countries. ‘EDUC’ and its members expressed their full solidarity with unions protesting throughout Europe for fairer wages and better working conditions for teachers. In a video message to the Romanian member union USLIP currently at strike, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger underlined the fundamental importance of education: “Investing in education and teachers means investing in our future. It means investing in the well-being of people and in the competitiveness and sustainability of our societies.”

During the meeting, the European Year of Skills, an EU initiative which focus on adults’ upskilling and reskilling, was discussed. The Expert Commission highlighted the importance of lifelong learning for teachers to acquire above all necessary digital and green skills. The European Commission underlined how crucial it is for society to “nurture our education workforce”, whereas most EU countries are suffering from teachers’ shortages.

Throughout the exchange on the results of the CESI working group on early-school leaving, participants could not but report also about teachers leaving the profession because of job dissatisfaction and degraded working conditions. Less societal reward and even less respect, leading to violent behaviour against teachers in the worst cases; higher workload; inadequate remuneration in most EU countries not balanced by former greater work-life flexibility: this all has led to an “attractiveness crisis” of the profession.

Against the background of the “permacrisis”, CESI initiated its so-called “Syncrisis” project, which was presented to the Expert Commission. The resilience and performance of education systems in the remain crucial to cope with the refugees’ crisis following the war in Ukraine. The presentation of Eurydice report on “Supporting refugee learners from Ukraine in schools in Europe 2022” allowed a reflection on the well-being in schools, both of children and the education workforce, challenged by the pandemic and the war. A timely discussion which coincided with the European Mental Health Week.

The new Manifesto for the teaching profession in the era of digital education was presented. EDUC’s Vice-president Luc Viehé stressed the human factor is in nowadays education systems: “Instead of undervaluing the profession, we should equip teachers with all necessary tools, including digital skills, to support them in an increasingly changing education landscape. Only so can teachers also equip, in turn, our children for being the citizens of tomorrow”.