Slide 1 – Teachers in solidarity British Columbia <‐‐> Latin America Over the decades, our Federation’s international solidarity work has deepened and broadened—both geographically and in terms of the range of issues addressed.
Next May (2016), the BCTF will host the 12th biennial conference of the Tri‐National Coalition in Defence of Public Education, when we’ll be bringing together about 180 teachers from Canada the US Mexico—along
teachers from Canada, the US, Mexico
along with representatives of indigenous teachers with representatives of indigenous teachers
from several other countries.
Presentation to Representative Assembly, November 6‐7, 2015‐‐BCTF International Solidarity in Latin America
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Slide 2 – BCTF works with teachers across Latin America
As this continental map illustrates, we are engaged with teachers and their unions across Latin America. Today I will be giving you updates on projects in six countries:
Bolivia
Colombia
Cuba Ecuador
Honduras
Peru
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Slide 3 – BOLIVIA
Bolivia is one of the most interesting and uplifting countries in South America because of the many positive changes brought about by Latin America’s first Indigenous president.
Since he was elected in 2006, Evo Morales and his government have been transforming the country from a former military dictatorship into a vibrant democracy.
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Slide 4 – Transforming public education in a pluri‐national society
Under the new education law, all students study their Indigenous languages, Spanish, and a foreign language. Large classes and scarce resources are problems, but government is committed to working on them.
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Slide 5 – 62% of Bolivians are Indigenous
The new constitution, enacted in 2009, is rooted in Andean Indigenous values in line with the world view of the 62% Indigenous majority. It also recognizes all of the many Indigenous groups as equal First Nations within the pluri‐national state.
Bolivia has the highest percentage of indigenous peoples in Latin America (62% according to UNDP, 2006). Of the indigenous peoples, it is estimated that the majority are Quechua (50 3%) and Aymara (39.8%).
(50.3%) and Aymara
(39 8%)
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Slide 6 – Igor Ampuero
Bolivian teachers are committed to improving their public school system and keen to enhance their professional skills. Along with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and the Bolivian Rural Teachers’ Union, the BCTF is funding a program of union skills training and professional development.
Igor, pictured here, co‐ordinates the program and Salesiana University in La Paz evaluates and certifies the graduates
and certifies the graduates.
(He jokes that in this picture the BCTF is above the Virgin Mary and to the left of Fidel Castro!)
FUNDE offers a range of programs:
•Union leadership skills training
•Upgrading from the normalista
•Completion of licentiatura – Bachelors
•School management
•Masters
Students often travel long distances by bus to attend the classes on the weekends.
Completion rates are very high
Completion rates are very high
Students have gone on to leadership roles in their locals, regional unions, and municipal councils.
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Slide 7 – Graduation day!
Many of the rural teachers travel long distances by bus to attend the weekend classes. Success rates are high and graduates have gone on to positions of leadership in their schools, local or regional unions, and municipal councils. You can see the pride in accomplishment here.
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Slide 8 – COLOMBIA
With top officials of the government and the guerilla movement at the peace talks in Havana, there is hope for peace—finally—after 50 years of civil war in Colombia. Three years ago, BCTF started funding a program of pedagogical circles, in which Colombian teachers collaborate to plan for public education in the post‐conflict period.
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Slide 9 – The most dangerous place in the world to be a trade unionist
For many years, Colombia has been the most dangerous place in the world to be a unionist, and teacher unionists are by far the most threatened. The teachers’ union FECODE (pronounced fay‐CO‐day) says 1,100 teachers have been assassinated since 1985.
This is a threat letter from one of the notorious death squads, the Black Eagles, delivered to one of the teacher activists our delegation met with last month.
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Slide 10 – A paradise in the midst of conflict
These beautiful tropical flowers were grown at a school we were supposed to visit but didn’t, since our hosts decided it was too dangerous. As a result, the students, parents, and teachers drove over 100 kilometres to meet with us.
Throughout a day of presentations and conversations, we learned about how Colombian teachers are teaching for peace in times of war.
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Slide 11 – Colombian teachers advocate a pedagogy of love
It was so moving to hear the stories from these students and their teachers. They are literally caught in the cross‐fire between guerillas in the mountains and a military base in the town. Two teachers have been killed, one was disappeared for a time, then had to flee. Meanwhile, at the Normal School and in the classrooms they practise “pedagogy of love” and emphasize a culture of tenderness in the school to help children traumatized by violence death and loss
violence, death, and loss.
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Slide 12 – Peace schools focus on art, dance, music, and restored pride...
A common thread we heard is that teachers use art, music, dance, and traditional handicraft to help children express their emotions and to restore pride in Indigenous culture and language.
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Slide 13 – The Canadian delegation garnered media attention in both Colombia and Ecuador
Across the Latin American countries where we have international solidarity projects, there is always a high level of interest in our presence and deep gratitude for our engagement.
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Slide 14 – ECUADOR
Ecuador is commonly seen as one of the countries in the “Pink Tide” that has washed over South America in the past decade, bringing progressive leftist governments to power.
However, as far as education policy is concerned, it’s actually more of the same old neo‐
liberal approach in Ecuador.
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Slide 15 – UNE faces political, economic, legal attacks
Since President Rafael Correa came to power, UNE (pronounced OO‐nay), the National Union of Educators, has faced a series of attacks by government. For example, they passed legislation doing away with automatic dues check‐off for union members. With union dues now optional, UNE has gone from 100,000 paying members to less than 30,000. Presentation to Representative Assembly, November 6‐7, 2015‐‐BCTF International Solidarity in Latin America
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Slide 16 – President Rafael Correa, self‐styled hero of the left....
This image is from a textbook for Quichua, the main Indigenous language, in which Correa (bottom right) is pictured along with the leading left‐wing presidents, Evo Morales of Bolivia and the late Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
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Slide 17 – Millennium schools
Correa gets a lot of positive press for investing more in education. He has built a series of large, so‐called Millennium Schools, with better resources, great facilities, and high tech features like smart boards. However, the new policy has resulted in closure of many small rural schools in Indigenous communities. We passed five closed schools en route to this Millennium school.
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Slide 18 – Indigenous activists say the millennium schools policy is racist
That means small children have to walk sometimes two or more hours to school. Others have to board in towns rather than live at home in order to get an education. These Quichua activists told us the policy is racist and they are resisting it strongly. We couldn’t help but see parallels to residential schools here in Canada.
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Slide 19 – HONDURAS
Honduras has long been one of the poorest countries in Latin America. However, things became much worse after the 2009 military coup. The government quickly moved to crush the teachers, who form the backbone of the opposition. It seized $100 million in teachers’ pension funds, cut teachers’ wages, suspended their labor rights, and passed a law to allow wholesale privatization of public education. Presentation to Representative Assembly, November 6‐7, 2015‐‐BCTF International Solidarity in Latin America
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Slide 20 – Repression of teachers
Honduran teacher leaders are living under constant surveillance and threats. At least 18 teachers have been killed. Among them is José Flores, a union leader. In March 2010, he was dragged from his classroom in a Tegucigalpa high school, and shot in the back. This image is from a poster for the families of the disappeared, who continue to advocate for justice for lost loved ones, an end to impunity, and respect for human rights.
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Slide 21 – COPEMH mural
Despite all this, the union continues to work on social justice issues. In co‐operation with the BCTF, the union is co‐ordinating a project in non‐sexist pedagogy. Women’s networks around the country have been sharing professional development around sex education, teen pregnancy (which is a huge issue), and gender equity in schools and society.
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Slide 22 – PERU
For the last eight years, the BCTF has collaborated with SUTEP, the Peruvian teachers’ union, to provide English teaching methodology workshops for Peruvian teachers. The challenges that Peruvian teachers face in their classrooms are similar to the ones we face at home, such as attacks on public education and teachers’ unions, and chronic underfunding.
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Slide 23 – Working together to overcome common challenges
When the Peru project first started, all workshops were delivered by BCTF members because it was many Peruvians’ first exposure to the notion of teacher‐led professional development. The project has evolved over the past eight years to a sustainable model in which Peruvians have increasing ownership of the program. By next summer, Peruvian teachers will co‐ordinate and facilitate workshops in approximately eight independent sites, while BCTF teachers will continue to offer their support in two or three new sites.
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Slide 24 – Strengthening the teachers’ union
The project has played an important role in strengthening SUTEP. Member recruitment and engagement have increased, more teachers have enrolled in women’s leadership programs, and SUTEP has gained increasing levels of recognition from local and regional government bodies.
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Slide 25 – Learning through solidarity
Canadian and Peruvian workshop facilitators, summer 2015.
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Slide 26 – CUBA
We are in a process of re‐establishing our partnerships with the teachers of Cuba.
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Slide 27 – 10th Anniversary Cuba‐BCTF Language Brigades
Over the span of more than a decade, about fifty BCTF members have offered English second language pedagogical workshops with Cuban teachers.
Cuba is now in the midst of change, with the US reopening diplomatic relations. The Cuban union wants to re‐establish a joint project with the BCTF, but the details have not yet been confirmed.
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Slide 28 – Initiative for Democratic Education in the Americas
The IDEA Network provides an organization framework for BCTF work with unions in Latin America. It carries out research and publishes on pedagogy, the needs of teachers, and union solidarity. Presentation to Representative Assembly, November 6‐7, 2015‐‐BCTF International Solidarity in Latin America
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Slide 29 – Covers of Intercambio magazines
Its most recent work is on social security—pensions, health care, and the like. Unlike in our reality, governments in several Latin American countries are grabbing teacher pension funds and using health care money for political aims.
With relatively small amounts of funding, the International Solidarity Program is able to With
relatively small amounts of funding the International Solidarity Program is able to
have a significant impact in working with colleagues and their unions in Latin America.
2015‐11‐06
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