Teachers on the Streets - Ireland, Greece and France

Irish teachers took to the streets just before Christmas, but there seems to be uproar over education cuts and reform growing across Europe.

I heard yesterday that 200 schools and colleges had been occupied in Greece and now French teachers are fighting the riot police.

I'm on their side, as it makes every sense to put more into education in a slump, when people otherwise are left fallow.

Quote :

12/01/2009 - 14:08:04
French police fired tear gas at teachers rioting over planned school reforms today.

Teachers’ unions demonstrated in the western city of Saint-Lo at a cultural centre before President Nicolas Sarkozy gave a New Year’s address to education officials.

Protesters and police exchanged blows, and one store window was smashed.

Major unions refused to attend the president’s speech because they oppose the government’s education reforms.

Mr Sarkozy wants to modernise the education system to make French students better prepared for the job market. But the government is also seeking to cut costs and bureaucracy across several sectors.The education reform includes changes to high school curricula but also job cuts among administrators and teachers’ aides.

Many fear the job losses will lead to overcrowded classes and limit the number of subjects taught in schools.

Protesters booed teachers and officials who arrived for the speech today.

Mr Sarkozy also met high school students and union leaders.

High school students around the country have staged protests over the reforms, prompting the government to delay its implementation. But Mr Sarkozy says he wants the reforms in place by September 2010.

300 schools in Greece occupied, according to this, including the Law School


http://forums.infoshop.org/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8274

cactus flower wrote:

Irish teachers took to the streets just before Christmas, but there seems to be uproar over education cuts and reform growing across Europe.

I heard yesterday that 200 schools and colleges had been occupied in Greece and now French teachers are fighting the riot police.

I'm on their side, as it makes every sense to put more into education in a slump, when people otherwise are left fallow.

Quote :

12/01/2009 - 14:08:04
French police fired tear gas at teachers rioting over planned school reforms today.

Teachers’ unions demonstrated in the western city of Saint-Lo at a cultural centre before President Nicolas Sarkozy gave a New Year’s address to education officials.

Protesters and police exchanged blows, and one store window was smashed.

Major unions refused to attend the president’s speech because they oppose the government’s education reforms.

Mr Sarkozy wants to modernise the education system to make French students better prepared for the job market. But the government is also seeking to cut costs and bureaucracy across several sectors.The education reform includes changes to high school curricula but also job cuts among administrators and teachers’ aides.

Many fear the job losses will lead to overcrowded classes and limit the number of subjects taught in schools.

Protesters booed teachers and officials who arrived for the speech today.

Mr Sarkozy also met high school students and union leaders.

High school students around the country have staged protests over the reforms, prompting the government to delay its implementation. But Mr Sarkozy says he wants the reforms in place by September 2010.

300 schools in Greece occupied, according to this, including the Law School


http://forums.infoshop.org/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8274

If the money ain't there, it ain't there. When the cuts come here, every department will have to take some including Health & Education. There are no nice easy acceptable options.

tonys wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

Irish teachers took to the streets just before Christmas, but there seems to be uproar over education cuts and reform growing across Europe.

I heard yesterday that 200 schools and colleges had been occupied in Greece and now French teachers are fighting the riot police.

I'm on their side, as it makes every sense to put more into education in a slump, when people otherwise are left fallow.

Quote :

12/01/2009 - 14:08:04
French police fired tear gas at teachers rioting over planned school reforms today.

Teachers’ unions demonstrated in the western city of Saint-Lo at a cultural centre before President Nicolas Sarkozy gave a New Year’s address to education officials.

Protesters and police exchanged blows, and one store window was smashed.

Major unions refused to attend the president’s speech because they oppose the government’s education reforms.

Mr Sarkozy wants to modernise the education system to make French students better prepared for the job market. But the government is also seeking to cut costs and bureaucracy across several sectors.The education reform includes changes to high school curricula but also job cuts among administrators and teachers’ aides.

Many fear the job losses will lead to overcrowded classes and limit the number of subjects taught in schools.

Protesters booed teachers and officials who arrived for the speech today.

Mr Sarkozy also met high school students and union leaders.

High school students around the country have staged protests over the reforms, prompting the government to delay its implementation. But Mr Sarkozy says he wants the reforms in place by September 2010.

300 schools in Greece occupied, according to this, including the Law School


http://forums.infoshop.org/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8274

If the money ain't there, it ain't there. When the cuts come here, every department will have to take some including Health & Education. There are no nice easy acceptable options.

I was never in favour in squandering a vast amount in the first place tonys. It should always have been prioritised and strategic, and more so now than ever before.

OK. I think its well easy to say "no cuts for me, thank you very much".
Its far harder to say "I support Education at the expense of say old age pensions. Go ahead and cut pensions. Strategically old people havent really any role to play in society and are only a burden."

OK maybe that extreme, but where then do we make the cuts? Who gets the chop?
Or how about everyone gives a little? Isnt that the most logical and equitable solution? Unfortunately the unions are acting like spoilt children.

Respvblica wrote:

OK. I think its well easy to say "no cuts for me, thank you very much".
Its far harder to say "I support Education at the expense of say old age pensions. Go ahead and cut pensions. Strategically old people havent really any role to play in society and are only a burden."

OK maybe that extreme, but where then do we make the cuts? Who gets the chop?
Or how about everyone gives a little? Isnt that the most logical and equitable solution? Unfortunately the unions are acting like spoilt children.

We shouldn't be deciding on a raft of random cuts, we should be deciding what our priorities and strategy are and how best to use our resources to achieve them.

cactus flower wrote:

Respvblica wrote:

OK. I think its well easy to say "no cuts for me, thank you very much".
Its far harder to say "I support Education at the expense of say old age pensions. Go ahead and cut pensions. Strategically old people havent really any role to play in society and are only a burden."

OK maybe that extreme, but where then do we make the cuts? Who gets the chop?
Or how about everyone gives a little? Isnt that the most logical and equitable solution? Unfortunately the unions are acting like spoilt children.

We shouldn't be deciding on a raft of random cuts, we should be deciding what our priorities and strategy are and how best to use our resources to achieve them.

If there are no cuts in the education budget then the cuts elsewhere will have to be deeper. Take Education, Health and Social welfare out of it and there's damn all left.