Contact:  Will Potter  (202) 822-7823 

November 2, 2007

NEA To Address Teacher Federation in India

Secretary-Treasurer Lily Eskelsen Stresses Ensuring a Quality Education for All

WASHINGTON—The highest court in India has ruled that a primary education is a basic right of every child, but more than 100 million children are in the labor force instead of school and girls are much less likely to attend school than boys. Education can become universal, though, if Indian teachers use their collective strength and organize, says NEA Secretary-Treasurer Lily Eskelsen.

Eskelsen will address primary school teachers in India on Sunday, at the All Indian Primary Teachers Federation Conference in Jaipur. The AIPTF has 2.7 million members, and conference organizers expect nearly 50,000 primary school teachers from different parts of India to attend.

“Your universities turn out some of the brightest engineers in the world,” Eskelsen says. “But almost one third of children in India do not receive a basic education.”

The challenges facing educators in India are unfortunately not unique to one country. In the United States resources are not equal because most school funding is based on local property taxes, and schools in poorer areas are often in need of repair and lack basic tools like current textbooks. And because very few districts have public pre-K programs, it is mostly students from wealthy families who get an early start on reading and using numbers, as well as classroom socialization skills. “This inequality is unacceptable in a democratic society,” Eskelsen says. “It is unacceptable in the United States, and it is unacceptable in India, the world’s largest democracy.”

Eskelsen cautions teachers to be wary of attempts to privatize education in India and treat students as “products that can be moved through an education assembly line.” Teachers have a responsibility to help young people recognize their full potential, and teach them to think for themselves, ask questions and solve problems.

“It is said that Gandhi described the traditional educational system in India as a beautiful tree that was destroyed during the British rule,” Eskelsen says. “In its place, a system evolved that places more emphasis on rote learning. We are seeing the same thing today in my country, with No Child Left Behind’s heavy emphasis on standardized tests. Teachers are not the problem, but we must be part of the solution. We must use our collective strength to demand more resources, so that every child has an opportunity to get an education.”

Advancing the rights of both students and educators is the task of Education International, which represents more than 30 million educators in 170 countries. The AIPTF and NEA are EI affiliates. NEA President Reg Weaver, who also serves as EI vice president, praised Eskelsen for delivering a critically important message.

“Education is democracy's foundation, and education is the key that opens the door of opportunity,” said Weaver. “For millions of people around the world today, that door is still locked. Through our work with Education International, NEA advocates that access to a quality education is a basic human right and should be afforded to all.”

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.