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From
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eustudenten@gmx.net
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Date
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Thu, 2 May 2002 15:54:15 +0200 (MEST)
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Subject
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Re: ls: Studenti: support call education is not for sale!
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What do you want to know?
There is a lot of information through our mailinglist and on our website...
If you want to know something special....
Ask, your question is to general...
Best regards René
>
> please tell me something more....
>
>
> >We are looking for somebody who can translate the call education is not
> for sale
> >into Italian..
> >We have started to mobilize for the EU-wide demonstration (and forum
> about
> >education) of students, schoolstudents and teachers against the European
> >education policies and the GATS treaty during the EU summit in Sevilla
> (20-22
> >June 2002).
> >
> >We are looking for organizations and persons who want to support the call
>
> >education is not for sale by signing it (read the call below and see wich
> >people and organizations already signed it...) in order to expres the
> broad
> >support for the campaign in several countries. You can sign the call by
> sending
> >an e-mail with the text Signature in the subject line and with your name
> or the
> >name of your organization, city and the country where you are coming
> from.
> >Send this information to: info@education-is-not-for-sale.org
> >
> >Here is the call:
> >
> >EU-wide protestcampaign in 2002:
> >
> >Education is not for sale!
> >
> >Forum about education and international studentblock at demonstration
> Sevilla
> >(Spain) June 20-21-22
> >
> >Decentralized protests in Europe during the summer-semester
> >
> >Study fees, budget cuts, deregulation, privatisation, lack of
> democracy... In
> >all European countries (and beyond) education is changing rapidly. A
> change in
> >education policy is also what we want, but not the neo-liberal changes
> >that are being pushed forward by the European Union and its member
> states.
> >
> >Why do they want to change the education systems ? While the UK's schools
> might
> >one day be worth £25bn a year to potential
> >"investors", the US system has been valued at $700bn. Worldwide,
> education is
> >worth trillions (for exact figure: OECD). If a country can seize an early
> and
> >substantial share of this market,its economy can overcome a crisis by
> that and
> >it ensures itself a big advantage in the competition with other ones. And
> >they are not only thinking like that in the UK, it`s EU policy and it`s
> the main
> >reason for many changes in the European education sector. Education is
> >increasingly not "only" a provider of new human resources for big
> business, but
> >big business in its own right.
> >
> >New laws in Europe
> >In Germany study fees are being introduced through the back door. There
> are
> >various kinds of fees, which aren't named as such. In Berlin students
> have to
> >make a contribution to the university-bureaucracy of 50 € per
> >semester, and in some states (Bundesländer) there are fees for students
> who have
> >studied for more than 13 semesters. In July 2001 one of the highest
> courts
> >declared this legal. Though these examples show the existence of study
> fees in
> >Germany, politicians still pretend that there are no fees and that the
> >discussion about their introduction was open.General study fees seem to
> be a
> >question
> >of time. Labeled as autonomy; universities shall and do search for
> funding
> >beside the stately budgets. Sponsoring increases. The present
> developments do
> >not only serve economical goals but can also be described as
> diciplination of
> >students. So is it possible now at some universities to drive out
> students who
> >studied more than a certain number of years without passing their final
> >exams. In Austria the government introduced study fees last year. In the
> UK an
> >increasing number of higher education and business leaders talk openly of
> a
> >completely privatised system of deregulated fees, while the government
> has
> >introduced privatisation into the school system for the first time. In
> Italy the
> >government have plans to privatise schools and universities. In the
> >Netherlands, Minister of Education "Hermans" is a great fan of GATS. In
> Spain
> >the goverment has introduced a new law called L.O.U. (In Spanish: Ley
> Orgánica
> >de Universidades). This law is reforming universities and will suppress
> the
> >joyce bodies of the universities, operate universities under strict
> managing
> >criteria, let the managerial class into the University, and encourage
> >Universities to finance themselves by competing for private money. The
> present
> >Directive that the Popular Party is proposing imposes the most
> conservative and
> >capitalist postulates of the right-wing policy. In Denmark the new
> neo-liberal
> >government has a majority in the parliament to make budget cuts specific
> to
> >education of 15 % within the next 3 years, and futhermore they are
> letting 6.000
> >extra students (which is a lot in Denmark) into the system without extra
> >funding. In France, for many years, university reforms have been intended
> for
> >diminishing the state financing and have been carrying an hiden
> privatization
> >planning. In 1998, the Attali Report recommended reforms in order to make
> the
> >colleges pay as they do in Anglo-saxons countries, what would destroy the
> >public services of education. This report particularly recommended a new
> system
> >of diplomas with degrees after 3, 5 and 8 years of study. Since this
> report, the
> >reforms by the former secretary of Education Claude Allègre, the "3rd
> >Millenium University" development plan (U3M), and most recently the
> reforms
> >engaged by the actual French secretary of Education Jack Lang, put into
> practice
> >these recommandations. The secretary of Education Jack Lang is now going
> >further, instituing points-scored degree i.e. the ECTS (European Credit
> Transfer
> >System). Students strike actions try to oppose this free market logic
> (the
> >firms will soon be allowed to invest in the Universities) and to stand up
> for
> >everybody's right to gain access to a good-quality knowledge. Such strike
> >actions particularly took place in November and December 1998 and March
> 2001. At
> >the French speaking university of Brussels most students have to pay for
> >language courses, only the exams are for free. The Belgium government
> stated
> >that they will never privatize higher education. What they mean is that
> the
> >public universities will always give the diploms etc. In praxis
> universities can
> >let companies do the courses. Students can follow the course for a fee by
> the
> >company and do the exam at the university for free. In Ireland tuition
> fees of
> >€3,000 to €4,000 are being discussed . The reintroduction of
fees
> >for full time students is one of two stark options set out in a
> >confidential draft report to the Irish Government. In Turkey the
> government
> >proposes new laws to get "ready" for GATS.
> >
> >The European Round Table Of Industrialists (ERT) In Europe, the reforms
> required
> >to privatise state education are gradually
> >being put in place. Under pressure from the European Round Table of
> >industrialists (ERT), the European Commission has decided to take things
> in
> >hand, and new information and communication technology offers an ideal
> pretext
> >for doing so. Every six months, the ERT holds a meeting with the
> president of
> >the
> >European Union to discuss priorities. Since 1999, this pressure group has
> been
> >chaired by Morris Tabaksblat, president of the Anglo-Dutch company
> >Reed-Elsevier, which has declared its intention of becoming the world
> leader in
> >the education and internet publishing sector. The ERT has also set up a
> working
> >group on external economic relations to supervise the progress of the WTO
> talks.
> >This is headed by none other than BP-Amoco chairman Peter Sutherland, who
> is a
> >former director-general of GATT. This lobby group is very clear about
> what it
> >wants governments to do: 'Responsibility for training must be assumed by
> >industry once and for all... education should be considered as a service
> to the
> >economy.' National education systems will not be completely eliminated.
> >Under the logic of the neo-liberal economy, in which profit-making
> entities are
> >privatised and loss-making ones are subsidised by the taxpayer,
> governments will
> >still have a role to play. The OECD wrote: 'The only role of the public
> sector
> >will be to ensure access to learning for those who will never be a
> >profitable market, and whose exclusion from society in general will be
> >accentuated as others continue to progress.'
> >
> >Bologna proces and GATS
> >In the Netherlands, minister Jorritsma(VVD,Dutch liberal party) has said
> >that the universities should be jugded by their market-ableness. His
> comment fit
> >in the framework of the Bologna declaration of the European ministers of
> >education and the General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) of the
> WTO.
> >European schools and universities have to transform so they will be
> competitive
> >for competitors from non European countries . In Germany the education
> system is
> >getting re-structured according to the proposals of neo-liberal
> >think-tanks like the CHE (center for university-development which is
> closly
> >linked to the Bertelsmann Group). The study-structure for example is
> supposed to
> >be
> >transformed from a more open diploma- or magister-system towards a
> restrictive
> >Bachelor/Master-system . This structure means: a light version of
> education for
> >everyone and special skills for some chosen few. It means more pressure
> to
> >finish your studies (although 75% of the german students have to work in
> >order to finance their studies), it means a reduction of content,
> especially
> >such that can be considered as critical. The Bachelor-Master structure is
> part
> >of the Bologna proces. With this system the universities can easylier
> compete
> >with eachother. They are trying to sell it to students with the slogan
> about
> >mobility, but who`s mobility? The mobility of the ones who can afford it!
> >
> >GATS By means of GATS (General Agreement on Trade on Services, a WTO -
> World
> >Trade Organisation - treaty) state (public) services like education
> services and
> >healthcare are declared a tradable commodity. At the moment the
> >liberalisation of education and healthcare sectors are being negociated
> under
> >the umbrella of GATS. The USA, New Sealand and Australia made proposals
> for the
> >GATS-negociations about education. The European Commission ( The
> unelected
> >"government" of the EU, which negotiates in the WTO on behalf of EU
> member
> >states) has also demonstrated its commitment to the liberalisation of
> public
> >services. The European Union already accepted to open their markets for
> primary
> >education services, secundary education services, higher education
> services and
> >adult education services for public - private partnerships. And since the
> >negociations about education are not finished yet, there is a danger that
> the EU
> >will even go further. Given that the Commission's 'Towards GATS 2000'
> statement
> >of intent calls GATS "first and foremost an instrument for the benefit of
> >business", the coverage of education by GATS will contribute to the
> extension of
> >private initiatives to education at all levels throughout the world (at
> January
> >1st 2002 144 countries were member of the WTO). At the WTO ministerial
> >meeting in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001 the WTO member states have
> agreed that
> >requests for countries to open up their services sectors will be
> submitted by 30
> >June 2002 and initial offers of countries to liberalise will be submitted
> by 31
> >March 2003. Negotiations on services, as with the other agreements, will
> be
> >completed by 1 January 2005. GATS rules may effectively prevent
> >government subsidies from being selectively applied to public services.
> There
> >are two key trade principles at the core of the GATS. These two
> principles are
> >designed to limit government interventions in the service sector. For
> example
> >under the national treatment principle, once a government signs up a
> service, it
> >could face WTO challenge if it implements legislation which favours local
> >suppliers over foreign suppliers. This has implications when it comes to
> the
> >granting of subsidies. For example, where a GATS commitment has been
> made,
> >governments providing subsidies to domestic service suppliers also have
> to make
> >an equivalent subsidy available to foreign providers operating in the
> country.
> >This raises the possibility of having a basic government-funded education
> >system, with funding given to all providers (private- and public), and
> then
> >allowing individuals to enhance this by paying top-up fees to providers
> with
> >varying so called "elite universities", or for the provision of 'optional
>
> >extras' at an additional charge. In other words, GATS could dramatically
> boost
> >the
> >trend even further away from universal and equal access to free, publicly
> >provided quality education (wich is something we`ve never had, but it`s
> one of
> >the goals we want to achieve), towards the spread of education systems
> based on
> >the ability of pupils and students to pay. Another big problem is that
> the
> >education programms will change when there is more and more competition
> between
> >private- and public schools and universities. Private institutions will
> only
> >learn people what "big bussiness" wants them to know. State schools and
> >universities will follow, otherwise they will lose pupils and students.
> Perhaps
> >the biggest threat posed by GATS is the threat to democracy. Once
> decisions are
> >reached under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS),
> government
> >activities in the services sector that are seen to 'interfere' with trade
> >faces the threat of WTO legal action. GATS means that if a government
> listens to
> >the voice of its people and responds by making appropriate policy changes
> it
> >also faces the threat of WTO legal action. For commercial and political
> >reasons it may be easier to "trade" higher education in particular for
> access to
> >other countries' markets for EU businesses. But the stakes are high:
> Pascal
> >Lamy, the EU Trade commissionair, stated, "For the EU, services are
> central. We
> >are number one in the world: 26% of world trade. Services account for two
> thirds
> >of EU GNP" and on another location he said about the trade in
> >services:"If we want to improve our own access to foreign markets then we
> can't
> >keep our protected sectors out of the sunlight. We have to be open in
> >negotiating them all if we are going to have the material for a big deal.
> In the
> >US and the EU, that means some pain in some sectors but gain in many
> others, and
> >I think we both know that we are going to have to bite the bullet to get
> what we
> >want". Alexa McDonough, the leader of Canada's National Democratic Party,
> >stated that the GATS constitutes "the greatest transfer of economic and
> >political power in history... from communities and nation states into the
> hands
> >of a small number of global corporations".
> >
> >The consequences:
> >- More and more schools and universities in Europe are being privatised
> >- Studyfees are being introduced or the fees are getting higher and
> higher
> >- The right to get a good education is more and more a question of money
> >- Democratic rights for pupils and students at schools and universities
> are
> >being cut
> >- The things we learn are increasingly the things companies want us to
> learn
> >
> >We want an education system for people, not for profits! We will not
> allow
> >education policies to be dictated by undemocratic
> >organisations such as the European Union, the World Trade Organisation
> and
> >private companies. Students, teachers, parents and pupils have to decide
> what
> >kind of education they want. We will have to act at the local and
> international
> >level to stop these developments since they are happening everywhere.
> >
> >For an international campaign during the summer-semester of 2002! We
> propose to
> >start an international campaign against these developments
> >during the summer-semester of 2002. In December 2001 students of several
> >European countries protested against the privatisation of education with
> >strikes, occupations and demonstrations. We think this short campaign was
> a step
> >into the right direction. We want to put more pressure on the
> decision-makers
> >and develop alternatives for a different kind of university. Therefore we
> call
> >on all students to join the forum about education and culture and the
> >international student demonstration in Salamanca (Spain) during March
> 17-19 and
> >to join the international student block and the forum about education in
> Sevilla
> >(Spain) during June 21 & 22. In the months between the protests and
> forums we in
> >Spain call all students to increase local protests against the
> privatisation of
> >education and to fight for our democratic rights at OUR universities!
> >
> >First supporting organizations and persons who signed this call
> >
> >Organizations:
> >
> >1. Appel pour une école démocratique (appeal for a democratic school),
> Belgium
> >2. Offene Linke Liste [oll] der University of Potsdam, Germany
> >3. Campaign for Free Education(UK), London, United Kingdom
> >4. Scudag-Koordinierungskreis, Network for a student- and schoolstudent
> >union, Germany
> >5. Observatorio Global de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
> >6. Kritische Studenten Utrecht, Netherlands
> >7. Aktionsbündnis für Freie Bildung (action-coalition for free
> >education),University of Wuppertal, Germany
> >8. Rudolf Steineracademie Antwerpen, Belgium
> >9. Initiative for Economic Democracy, Yugoslavia
> >10. Anarchist Black Cross Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
> >
> >persons:
> >
> >1. Susan George, writer, Associate Director of the Transnational
> Institute,
> >France
> >2. Rainer Marquardt, Mitglied im Personalrat des WDR (German radio &
> >Television), Dortmund, Germany
> >3. Sarah Stockmann,Vorstand LSV NW, scudag, Meerbusch, Germany
> >4. Özlem Demirel, Vorstand LSV NW,Cologn, Germany
> >5. Marcus Wendin, Peace quest, Göteborg, Sweden
> >6. Andrej Grubacic, historian, coordinator of Initiative for Economic
> >Democracy and SEE Social Forum, University of
> > Belgrade,Yugoslavia
> >7. Carlos Ruano, grupo activo "otro mundo es posible", Salamanca, Spain
>
> >8. Abel Valenzuela Garcia, University of Barcelona, Spain
> >9. Chris Paul, ceo innovation in digital and electronic arts (IDEA),
> >Manchester, NW, England
> >10. Referat für Frieden und Internationales (Section peace and
> international
> >affairs), AStA Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
> >11. René Schuijlenburg, EU Students, FH Dortmund, Germany
> >12. HoPo Referat, ASTA BUGH, Wuppertal, Germany
> >13. Jochen Vlieghe, ATTAC- university in Gent, Belgium
> >14. Sara Olvegård, Göteborg, Sweden
> >15. Ole Erdmann, Scudag-network, Bonn, Germany
> >16. Joris Verschueren, ATTAC-RUG, Gent, Belgium
> >17. Amanda O'Brien, Toronto, Canada
> >18. Alison Russell, Brussels, Belgium
> >19. Brit Eckhart, Boston-Cambridge Alliance for Democracy, Boston, MA.
> USA
> >20. Klaus B. Jensen, PLS, Copenhagen, Denmark
> >21. Info - Referat des ASTA der BUGH, Wuppertal, Germany
> >22. Mateusz Kuiavski, New Media student at Ryerson University in Toronto,
> >Canada
> >23. Margalit Laufer, OPEN POORT, cultural centre for children aged 1 -14
> >Zeist, Netherlands
> >24. François Josserand, Glasgow, Scotland
> >25. Paola Manduca, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
> >26. Crystal Chesshire, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
> >27. David Hachfeld, Berlin, Germany
> >28. Leopold Wonneberger, Attac, HU Berlin, Germany
> >29. Meredith de Landelles, Darwin, Australia
> >30. Manfred Bergmann, Roman Migrant Social Forum, Rome,Italy
> >31. Aslak Orre, CMI, Bergen, Norway
> >32. Dr. Eero Carroll, researcher in sociology, Stockholm University,
> Member of
> >Attac, Sweden
> >33. Hermann Gendrisch, Übach-Palenberg, Germany
> >34. Gunilla Andersson, student at Malmö University, member of Attac,
> Malmö,
> >Sweden
> >35. Martin Odalgård, Göteborg, Sweden
> >36. Irina Neszeri, member of city council Duisburg, Duisburg, Germany
> >37. Joe Rukin, editor educationet.org, Coventry UK
> >38. Eva Quistorp, MdEP a.D (former member of European Parliament),women`s
> >nnetwork of ATTAC , Berlin, Germany
> >39. Sten Rigedahl, secondary school teacher, Sundsvall, Sweden
> >40. Toni Segovia-Silvestre, Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain)
> >41. Andre Wokittel, Halle, Germany
> >42. Bianca Kurth, Bielefeld, Germany
> >43. H. - W. Hoffmann, Dipl. Des. Dipl. Ing, Dortmund, Germany
> >44. Prof. Dr. Ingrid Lohmann, University of Hamburg,Fachbereich
> >Erziehungswissenschaft ,Hamburg / Germany
> >45. James Redmond, member of socialist alternative, Ireland
> >46. Donal Lyons, member of socialist alternative, Ireland
> >47. Finbar Dywer, member of socialist alternative, Ireland
> >48. Ciaran Murray, member of socialist alternative, Ireland
> >49. Daniel Finn, member of socialist alternative, Ireland
> >50. Martina Marcet i Fuentes, student of 1st Batxillerat, La Nou de
> Bergedà,
> >Catalunya (Spain)
> >51. Oskar Wistbacka, Upper secondary school student, Vasa, Finland
> >52. Sabine Teubner, Brunnerstraße 4, 39112 Magdeburg, Germany
> >53. Steven Kelk, University of Warwick, England
> >53. Patricia Fumière, enseignante, Belgium
> >54. Beate Obst, Wuppertal, Germany
> >55. Daniel Zettler, Augsburg, Germany
> >56. Dominik Ruppenthal,
> >FachSchaftsVertreterInnenKonferenz(FSVK)-Spokesperson, Ruhr University,
> Bochum,
> >Germany 57. Eilert Stamm, LandesschülerInnenvertretung NRW, Niederkassel,
>
> >Germany
> >58. Frank Rippel, Berlin, Germany
> >59. Jiri Nantl, Vice Chairman of the Academic Senate, Masaryk University,
> >Brno, Czech Republic
> >60. Erich-Günter Kerschke, Cologn, Germany
> >61. Heiko Kunert, Regenbogen - für eine neue Linke (Rainbow - for a new
> left ),
> >Hamburg, Germany
> >62. Michael Schultze, Politikwissenschaftler, Magdeburg, Germany
> >63. Stijn Oosterlynck, Member of Attac, Belgium
> >64. Ulla Lötzer, MdB PDS (Member of German parliament), Köln, Germany
> >65. Christiane Fey, Journalistin und StudentIn FH Dortmund, Witten,
> Germany 66.
> >Mike RowleySteering Committee, Campaign for Free Education and member of
> >Alliance for
> > Workers' Liberty, Oxford, United Kingdom
> >67. De Marco, Paul, Richmond Hill, Canada
> >68. Lars-Olof Karlsson, member of ATTAC, Stockholm, Sweden
> >69. Anna Kossack, Vorstand LSV-Hessen, Berkatal, Germany
> >70. Glenn Rikowski, Hillcole Groupof Radical Left Educators, London,
> United
> >Kingdom
> >71. Jan Buelinckx, ATTAC-University of Ghent, Belgium
> >
> >Wanna sign this call? Send an e-mail with the text Signature in the
> subject line
> >and with your name or the name of your organization, city and the
> >country where you are coming from. Send this information to:
> >
> >Contact: info@education-is-not-for-sale.org
> >
> >Websites: http://www.education-is-not-for-sale.org
> >http://www.geocities.com/observaglobal/ (in Spanish)
> >
> >Mailinglists:
> >
> >English (The international list):
> >http://groups.yahoo.com/group/international-pupil-and-studentactions
> >
> >German:
> http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/int-schueler-und-studentenaktionen
> >
> >Dutch: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/int-scholieren-en-studentenakties
> >
> >-- EU-wide protestcampaign in 2002:
> >Education is not for sale!
> >http://www.education-is-not-for-sale.org
> >
> >Die Kampagne education is not for sale kostet viel Geld...
> >
> >Spendenkonto für die Kampagne: Sarah Stockmann
> >Kontonummer: 447 282 51
> >BLZ: 305 500 00
> >Sparkasse Neuss
> >Verwendungszweck: Education is not for sale
> >
> >We need a lot of money to organize the education is not for sale
> campaign,you
> >could help us by transfering a little gift to:
> >
> >Sarah Stockmann Bankaccount: 447282 51
> >Number of the bank: 305 500 00
> >Name of the bank: Sparkasse Neuss
> >Reference: Education is not for sale
> >City: Neuss
> >Country: Germany
> >
> >GMX - Die Kommunikationsplattform im Internet.
> >http://www.gmx.net
> >
> >
> >
>
> -----------------------------------------------------
>
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>
> -----------------------------------------------------
>
>
--
EU-wide protestcampaign in 2002:
Education is not for sale!
http://www.education-is-not-for-sale.org
Die Kampagne education is not for sale kostet viel Geld...
Spendenkonto für die Kampagne:
Sarah Stockmann
Kontonummer: 447 282 51
BLZ: 305 500 00
Sparkasse Neuss
Verwendungszweck: Education is not for sale
We need a lot of money to organize the education is not for
sale campaign,you could help us by transfering a little gift to:
Sarah Stockmann
Bankaccount: 447282 51
Number of the bank: 305 500 00
Name of the bank: Sparkasse Neuss
Reference: Education is not for sale
City: Neuss
Country: Germany
GMX - Die Kommunikationsplattform im Internet.
http://www.gmx.net
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