'a sinistra ministra': UNESCO

20081215

Apelo da UNESCO

Don’t cut education funding conclude ministers attending UNESCO’s International Conference on Education

"The global financial crisis should not serve as a justification for cuts in education funding, concluded ministers and representatives from 153 countries attending the 48th session of UNESCO’s International Conference on Education which closed on 28 November.

The theme of the week-long conference was “Inclusive Education: The way to the future”, with discussions focused on ways of providing education to the hundreds of millions of people around the world with little or no access to education.

Among those excluded from education are 75 million out-of-school children. More than half of these children are girls and one third are disabled. Most of them live in poor, isolated communities or urban slums. Many of these children are working and many belong to indigenous groups and linguistic minorities, or are living in conflict and post conflict situations." (03-12-2008 -UNESCO)

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20080504

20080410

Tem piada ... Portugal assinou 'isto' ...

"The Special Intergovernmental Conference on the Status of Teachers,

Recalling that the right to education is a fundamental human right,

Conscious of the responsibility of the States for the provision of proper education for all in fulfillment of Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of Principles 5, 7 and 10 of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and of the United Nations Declaration concerning the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect and Understanding between Peoples,

Aware of the need for more extensive and widespread general and technical and vocational education, with a view to making full use of all the talent and intelligence available as an essential contribution to continued moral and cultural progress and economic and social advancement,

Recognizing the essential role of teachers in educational advancement and the importance of their contribution to the development of man and modern society,

Concerned to ensure that teachers enjoy the status commensurate with this role, (...)

Advancement and promotion

(...) 43. Posts of responsibility in education, such as that of inspector, educational administrator, director of education or other posts of special responsibility, should be given as far as possible to experienced teachers.
4. Promotion should be based on an objective assessment of the teacher's qualifications for the new post, by reference to strictly professional criteria laid down in consultation with teachers' organizations.

Security of tenure

45. Stability of employment and security of tenure in the profession are essential in the interests of education as well as in that of the teacher and should be safeguarded even when changes in the organization of or within a school system are made.
46. Teachers should be adequately protected against arbitrary action affecting their professional standing or career. (...)

Professional freedom

61. The teaching profession should enjoy academic freedom in the discharge of professional duties. Since teachers are particularly qualified to judge the teaching aids and methods most suitable for their pupils, they should be given the essential role in the choice and the adaptation of teaching material, the selection of textbooks and the application of teaching methods, within the framework of approved programmes, and with the assistance of the educational authorities.
62. Teachers and their organizations should participate in the development of new courses, textbooks and teaching aids
63. Any systems of inspection or supervision should be designed to encourage and help teachers in the performance of their professional tasks and should be such as not to diminish the freedom, initiative and responsibility of teachers. (...)
68. (1) Parents having a complaint against a school or a teacher should be given the opportunity of discussing it in the first instance with the school principal and the teacher concerned. Any complaint subsequently addressed to higher authority should be put in writing and a copy should be supplied to the teacher.
(2) Investigations of complaints should be so conducted that the teachers are given a fair opportunity to defend themselves and that no publicity is given to the proceedings.
69. While teachers should exercise the utmost care to avoid accidents to pupils, employers of teachers should safeguard them against the risk of having damages assessed against them in the event of injury to pupils occurring at school or in school activities away from the school premises or grounds.