Education International

Education International (EI) is a global union federation for organizations representing teachers, lecturers, education support personnel and other education employees. Based in Brussels, Belgium, it connects hundreds of member organizations across countries and territories and represents more than 32 million education workers from early-childhood education through higher education. It is one of the largest international organizations dedicated to the education workforce and operates as a representative, campaigning and policy-coordination body rather than as a conventional commercial brand. EI was created in 1993 through the merger of two major international education organizations: the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP) and the International Federation of Free Teachers' Unions (IFFTU). The merger brought together traditions that had developed separately during the Cold War. WCOTP had roots in professional associations of teachers and maintained extensive cooperation with UNESCO, the International Labour Organization and other international institutions. IFFTU developed within the free-trade-union movement and represented education unions associated with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. The end of the Cold War and the long-term growth of education unions made continued organizational rivalry less practical, leading to the Stockholm merger in January 1993. The federation's historical roots extend further back. International cooperation among teachers included the 1912 creation of FIPESO, an organization for teachers in public secondary schools. Other predecessors included the World Federation of Education Associations, founded in 1923, and the International Federation of Teachers' Associations, established in 1926. Postwar divisions in the international labor movement produced several competing education bodies, including the World Organization of the Teaching Profession, FISE and IFFTU. One important achievement of this earlier international work was the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, adopted in 1966 after years of advocacy and technical work involving international teacher organizations. EI's central mission is to defend education as a public good and to promote the professional, economic and social rights of education personnel. Its policy work addresses teacher shortages, salaries and working conditions, academic and professional freedom, gender equality, inclusion, education financing, privatization, commercialization, labor rights and the effects of technology on teaching and learning. It also supports trade-union organizing and collective action by its members. The organization frequently represents the education workforce in global policy discussions and advocates for strong public systems rather than treating education primarily as a market or private service. The federation is governed democratically through a World Congress held every three years. The Congress elects the president, vice-presidents, general secretary and Executive Board, approves policy and programs, adopts the budget and determines membership fees. An Executive Board manages the federation between congresses, while a Secretariat in Brussels handles day-to-day work. EI also maintains regional structures and offices serving Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America and the Caribbean. The organization's formal relationships include affiliation with the International Trade Union Confederation, associate relations with UNESCO and consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. A prominent recent initiative is Go Public! Fund Education. Launched on 24 January 2023, the International Day of Education, the campaign supports member organizations campaigning against austerity, budget reductions and privatization, while seeking greater public investment in inclusive, quality education and the teaching profession. EI also participated in international discussions following the 2022 Transforming Education Summit. Its former president Susan Hopgood served on the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, whose 2024 recommendations emphasized enabling teachers to act as active, collaborative drivers of educational change, alongside adequate financing and thoughtful technology integration.

International organization among teachers developed gradually during the twentieth century. FIPESO, founded in Belgium in 1912, was an early international association for teachers in public secondary schools. The National Education Association helped establish the World Federation of Education Associations in 1923, while the International Federation of Teachers' Associations appeared in 1926. A separate International Trade Secretariat of Teachers was also formed in 1926 within the international trade-union movement. These early bodies generally had concentrated European membership, limited institutional reach and, with important exceptions, were disrupted by the Second World War. The postwar reorganization of international trade unionism reshaped education organizations. The World Federation of Education Associations expanded and became the World Organization of the Teaching Profession in 1946. The International Trade Secretariat of Teachers associated with the World Federation of Trade Unions, while socialist and communist teacher unions established FISE in Budapest in 1948. The political division between the World Federation of Trade Unions and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions created parallel education structures. In 1951, WCOTP, FIPESO and IFTA formed the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession. In the same period, the International Federation of Free Teachers' Unions was created within the free-trade-union tradition. FISE remained linked to the World Federation of Trade Unions. WCOTP and IFFTU became the two principal competing international organizations for non-communist education unions. WCOTP developed substantial cooperation with UNESCO, the ILO and the United Nations and worked on international standards for teachers. Its work contributed to the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, adopted on 5 October 1966. IFFTU was initially smaller, but its membership grew as education unions in several regions changed political orientation or moved between international affiliations. By the 1970s, the two organizations represented large and increasingly overlapping constituencies. The possibility of unification was raised in 1985 and negotiations became more serious from 1988. The growth of international education unionism, the costs of institutional competition and the collapse of the Soviet bloc reduced the practical importance of the political divisions that had sustained separate organizations. WCOTP and IFFTU merged at a convention in Stockholm on 26 January 1993, creating Education International. Albert Shanker became the founding president, while Fred van Leeuwen served as the first general secretary. Since its formation, EI has developed as a global federation with a World Congress, Executive Board, elected officers, regional structures and a Brussels-based Secretariat. Its work combines collective representation, international labor advocacy, policy research, solidarity and public campaigning. It has continued to argue that education should be funded and governed as a public service, while addressing teacher recruitment and retention, education-worker rights, privatization, inclusion, equality and professional autonomy. Through relationships with UNESCO and the United Nations, affiliation with the International Trade Union Confederation and cooperation with national member organizations, EI presents the collective perspective of education workers in international policy debates.

• 2024

  High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession recommendations

  [4]The High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession reportei-ie.org

  A United Nations panel issued recommendations emphasizing teacher agency, adequate financing and effective technology integration.

• 2023

  Go Public! Fund Education launched

  [3]Go Public! Fund Educationei-ie.org

  EI launched a worldwide campaign for public investment in education and the teaching profession.

• 1993

  Education International created

  [1]Education Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  WCOTP and IFFTU merged at a Stockholm convention, creating the global federation known as Education International.

• 1966

  UNESCO adopts the Status of Teachers Recommendation

  [5]UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachersunesco.org

  UNESCO adopted an international recommendation addressing teachers' status, protections and professional conditions after sustained work by international teacher organizations.

• 1951

  WCOTP and IFFTU formed

  [1]Education Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  Two major international structures emerged from the postwar division in the labor movement: WCOTP and IFFTU.

• 1946

  WFEA becomes WOTP

  [1]Education Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  The World Federation of Education Associations broadened its membership and adopted the name World Organization of the Teaching Profession.

• 1923

  World Federation of Education Associations founded

  [1]Education Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  The organization founded with support from the National Education Association became an important predecessor to later international teacher bodies.

• 1912

  FIPESO established

  [1]Education Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  An early international federation for teachers in public secondary schools was established in Belgium.

A global democratic labor federation and advocacy network that represents education unions and promotes quality public education, professional rights and decent work for education personnel.

• Trade-union federation service · 1993

  Global union representation

  EI represents national and regional organizations of teachers and education employees in international labor and education policy forums. It coordinates common positions, supports solidarity among members and provides a collective voice on working conditions, professional rights, education financing and public-service policy.

• Advocacy and policy · 1993

  Policy advocacy and research

  The federation develops policy positions and participates in international initiatives concerning teachers, education systems and labor rights. Its advocacy engages institutions including UNESCO, the ILO and the United Nations, with emphasis on quality public education, professional autonomy, equality and decent work.

• Global campaign · 2023

  Go Public! Fund Education

  This campaign mobilizes EI member organizations around public financing for education and the teaching profession. It supports campaigns against budget cuts, austerity and privatization and promotes inclusive, quality public education for all.

• 2023Go Public! Fund Education

  Global

  Launched on the International Day of Education, the campaign calls for governments to fund public education and the teaching profession adequately. It assists member organizations in opposing austerity, budget reductions and privatization and in organizing for inclusive public systems.

  Outcome. The campaign continued into 2024 and used the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession's recommendations as an advocacy reference.

  Source

• 2023

  Global public-education funding strategyStrategy

  Background

  EI identified austerity, insufficient education budgets and privatization as threats to public education and the teaching profession.

  Action taken

  It launched Go Public! Fund Education to coordinate member advocacy and public mobilization for stronger public investment.

  Aftermath

  The campaign remained an active framework for union advocacy and incorporated international recommendations on the teaching profession.

  Source

• 1993

  Merger of WCOTP and IFFTUM&A

  Background

  Two large international education federations had competed for members and represented different strands of the postwar trade-union movement. Political changes and overlapping constituencies created conditions for unification.

  Action taken

  The organizations merged at a convention in Stockholm on 26 January 1993 to establish Education International.

  Aftermath

  The merger created a unified global federation for education unions and ended the principal institutional rivalry between the two predecessor bodies.

  Source

1. 1Education Internationalen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Education International official websiteei-ie.org
3. 3Go Public! Fund Educationei-ie.org
4. 4The High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession reportei-ie.org
5. 5UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachersunesco.org