Fevruary 2007



Recently, German students protested against the decision of the German Constitutional Court authorizing the Länders to introduce fees for university studies, which until now have been free.  Earlier, last June, thousands of students, teachers and parents had demonstrated in Wiesbaden against the project of the regional Christian-Democratic government to impose tuition fees of 500 euros per semester.  According to the French newspaper Libération, all of the Länder are proceeding in plans to increase tuition fees and to reduce the budgets given to universities. 

In France, the Prime Minister recently came out in favour of an increase “in the coming years” of tuition fees to university, which will be determined “according to the resources of the student and of his or her parents.”

In Greece, Parliament is studying the possibility of modifying the Constitution so as to authorise the creation of private universities.  At the moment, higher education is offered exclusively by institutions with the status of legal persons, which are completely independent, acting under the supervision of the State, with the right to government subsidies and which function in accordance with the laws governing these entities.  The creation of specialized private universities will inevitably result in the imposition of tuition fees. 

The newspaper Le Monde reports that last April, in Chile, hundreds of thousands of secondary students took to the streets across the country to denounce, amongst other things, the poor quality of instruction and the inequalities between the private and the public sectors.  They demanded free transportation for primary and secondary school students.   Jokingly baptised “the revolt of the penguins”, this unexpected rebellion surprised everyone, starting with the socialist president, who had assumed his functions on March 11.

In Quebec, the debate is heated over the increase in tuition fees, and even constitutes an electoral issue.  The University Student Federation of Quebec (FEUQ) maintains its position against this change in educational rights.  Strong in the support of the three principle provincial unions, the FEUQ is opposed to the decision of the Liberal Party to raise tuition fees. 

The adoption of positions in favour of the installation or the increase of university tuition fees reveals a significant trend.  At a time when education is more and more considered by the dominant ideology as a consumer good, there is nothing to be surprised about aside from the extent of the popularity of the subject amongst the leaders and aficionados of the commercialisation of educational services.   Nevertheless in Finland, Sweden (nominal tuition fees) and in Norway, access to higher public education is free and no one seems to complain about it. 

A reminder:  States seem to have forgotten the engagement they took by ratifying, in 1976, the Pact relative to Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which stipulates in Article 13 that “higher education must be made equally accessible to all, according to the means of each person, by all appropriate means and notably by the progressive institution of free tuition.”  (CHECK)  Does not this article, seemly legally binding, although not respected as such by governments, cause a return to the recurrent but always essential debate over political orientations and the societal choices that flow from them? 

References:

Les étudiants allemands manifestent contre l'application de frais de scolarité

http://www.boivigny.com/Les-etudiants-allemands-manifestent-contre-l-application-de-frais-de-scolarite_a147.html (in French only)

Germany : New university tuition fees threaten students with poverty

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/mar2007/tuit-m10.shtml

Les étudiants allemands contestent aussi

http://www.fef.be/page1283.html (in French only)

Lors de l'inauguration de Paris VII-Diderot, Dominique de Villepin s'est prononcé pour une augmentation modulable dans les prochaines années.

http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualites/politique/20070207.
OBS1170/villepin_veut_augmenterles_frais_dinscriptions.html(in French only)

Grèce : les étudiants se mobilisent contre les facs privées

http://www.newropeans-magazine.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=
5149&Itemid=84 (in French only)

Chili : Michelle Bachelet et la révolte des « pingouins »

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3230,36-839908,0.html (in French only)

Frais de scolarité - Opposition concertée des syndicats et des étudiants à un éventuel dégel

http://www.ledevoir.com/2007/02/16/131360.html(in French only)

  • Demonstration for free education

Students from all parts of Canada recently demonstrated on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, the capital of the country.  The students demanded in particular a reduction in tuition fees and in supplementary fees in higher educational institutions throughout the country as well as a massive reinvestment of funds on the part of the governmental authorities. 

http://www3.thestar.com/cgi-bin/star_static.cgi?section=top&page=/Videos/070207_tuition_fees
_protest.html

  • European Youth

Within the Framework of the Council of Europe’s Campaign, “all different – all equal”, youth are launching initiatives and projects in favour of respect for human rights, equality of rights and tolerance, thus contributing to the battle against discrimination, racism and violence.  The object of this campaign is to promote diversity, human rights and participation. 

http://www.coe.int/NewsSearch/Default.asp?p=nwz&id=8096&lm
Langue=1

  • Conference on child soldiers

A conference was held in Paris from 5 to 6 February on child soldiers.  Organised by the French government and UNICEF, this meeting allowed the countries affected by the use of child soldiers as well as donor countries to assemble around a common goal, to address the problem of the recruitment of children and to exploit the political will necessary to find solutions.

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_38208.html

  • In Japan, teachers against patriotism

“Forcing someone to sing the “Kimigayo” (the Japanese national anthem) constitutes a violation of freedom of thought and of conscience.”  The verdict rendered by the judge of the District Court of Tokyo provoked joy amongst the 401 teachers who, for the past two years, have refused to stand up before the Japanese flag to sing the national anthem.  In 2003, the Educational Council of the city of Tokyo promulgated a directive laying down the obligation for teachers in public schools to sing the national anthem during ceremonies which take place within the educational establishment.  The directive threatened those who contravened it of reprisals of varying gravity:  notice, retention of salary and even suspension. 

http://www.vousnousils.fr/page.php?P=data/autour_de_nous/
l_actualite_de_la_se/la_revue_de_courrier/&key=itm_20060926
_115031_japon.txt

  • Understanding poverty

At the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), le Centre de formation sur l’enseignement en milieux défavorisés (the Centre for Education for teaching in underprivileged areas) is working to improve the training of future teachers, present teachers taking courses as well as various interveners who are working or who will be working with students from underprivileged backgrounds. 

http://www.fse.uqam.ca/milieuxdefavorises/ (in French only)

  • Innovativepractices

The Observatory for Innovative Practices (ODPI) was born during French-African meetings which were held in France in June 2005.  It examines of the strategies that NGO’s and public powers  have put into place in Africa in order to include within the literacy and training process those who are marginalized by the educational systems.

http://repta.net/site/index.php?option=com_content&task
=view&id=53&Itemid=51 (in French only)

  • Human Rights in Africa

The Interafrican Union for Human Rights has published its 2004 – 2005 Report on “The State of Human Rights in Africa”

http://www.iuhr.org/IMG/pdf/Rapportfinal2004-2005.pdf (in French only)

  • Rights of the Child

The Swiss section of Défense des enfants international (Defence of Children International) (DEI) has produced a CD ROM on the rights of the child. 

http://www.dei.ch/ (in French only)

  • Human Rights in Colombia

The publishing house Claude Muller has recently published a book testifying to the situation in Colombia:  “Travels in Colombia, from the Caribbean to the Amazon”, by Fernand Meunier.  The objective of this work is to support and encourage Colombians who, wishing to live in peace, defend human rights at the risk of their lives.

http://www.photopro.fr/fernandmeunier (in French only)

  • Human Rights Morality

The University of Nantes, together with other universities and associated partners, is offering a university diploma in human rights morality, which aims to provide ethical training to professionals working in direct relationship with human beings, and to allow students to master their legal and behavioural capabilities in the area of human rights. 

http://www.droits-fondamentaux.prd.fr/duedh/modules/accueil/accueil.php?idElem=1 (in French only)

  • Training of Cameroonianinspectors

About one hundred School inspectors from the Ministry of Education and secondary schools have taken a training seminar in Yaoundé on the use of the “Cahier Pédagogique” (Educational Guidebook) for human rights education in the Cameroon.   Organised by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms (CNDHL), with the support of the “Sub-regional Centre for Nations United for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa”, the meeting aimed to train the participants who will, in turn, train teachers in the field. 

http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-f.asp?ID=495711 (in French only)

  • Peace and interculturalism

In Vermont, in the United States, the Summer Institute for Conflict Resolution by Intercultural Understanding is offering a summer session of three weeks on the resolution of conflicts and peace construction. 

Info : contact@sit.edu