European Trade Union Committee for Education

ETUCE has adopted a Position on the upcoming EU-level Guidelines on Preparedness in Education, currently being developed by the European Commission under the EU Preparedness Union Strategy.

While recognising the importance of preparing education systems for crises, ETUCE stresses that preparedness must be understood in its systemic, social and professional dimensions.

The Position clearly states that it is “critical to avoid that ‘preparedness’ leads to the militarisation of education or the loss of democratic sovereignty.”

A central message of the Position is the need to fully involve teachers and their unions in the design, implementation and monitoring of preparedness strategies at all levels. ETUCE insists on the implementation of the UNESCO Santiago Consensus and calls for the “systematic inclusion of education trade unions in design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the preparedness strategy.”

ETUCE also underlines that preparedness cannot be reduced to technical measures or repositories of materials. It requires:

• sustainable public funding for education and digital infrastructure
• clear definitions of preparedness competences adapted to different risks
• protection of teachers’ rights, wellbeing and professional autonomy
• systemic teacher initial and continuous professional development provided during working time
• equity measures for vulnerable learners and local adaptation of curricula
• clear safeguards that online learning is “strictly emergency and temporary”

ETUCE has shared this Position with DG EAC, DG ECHO and international partners, and encourages member organisations to use it as a policy reference when national governments introduce preparedness measures in education.