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Español : Llamamiento de Valencià May. 07

Valencia Call

Wednesday 12 March 2008 by Zawra

APPEAL PROPOSAL TO FIGHT DURING THE PREVIOS WEEK TO MINISTERIAL SUMMIT OF EDUCATION FROM 16th to 18th OF MAY 2007. València, Països Catalans

Today we want to express our vigorous defeat to the Fifth Biennial Conference where the education ministers and various organisms suprastate* expect to make a new step in the consolidation on this neoliberal process that means the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). In this meeting, the people responsible of our precariousness are going to evaluate the application of the process at the different states that have signed the previous declarations and are going to go into some matters which we cannot stay indifferent. The student resistances of around EHEA believe in the definite break of this Process and a public denunciation pointing that:

• The comparable and comprehensive system of qualifications and degrees is only capable of being justified with the expectation of building a whole European market of superior education, in other words, to commercialize easily with “educative products”.

• The structure of the cycles boosted by the European convergence only penetrates deeper into devaluation of the Bachelor’s Degrees, at the same time that consolidates a growing demand to course any Master Degree more expensive and focused on transforming it into a necessity for many people and a business for a few: this is what they want to call “live long learning”.

• The concept of quality seems to be the best improvement of the reform in the neoliberal ideology which guides all the process. This concept which is launched by European technocrats, far away from an open and democratically organized discussion of the educational community, shoot for a clear reduction of the social control of the educational process of the University towards the growth of the Management Autonomy, adding techniques of private management that deal with concepts like the competitiveness and classifying the superior educative centres in Universities of first, second and third class.

• The social dimension of the reform has not been the prior conflict for its designers, as it is also won’t be dealt in this fifth Ministerial Conference. We think that every social decision that he will taken will only be headed to guarantee the consumerism of education that they themselves are interested in promoting.

• The competition and the mobility, in general, only search to consolidate demand and supply model of the business world and the market, establishing the idea of the education as merchandise. At the same time it’s an excuse to reduce the rights of all students.

We also continue demanding a public, spacious and deep debate in which it could be possible to analyze which is the model of education we need from all points of views. On the other hand, we report the absence of democracy along the process and we believe in a horizontal system of participation and decision, and not on a mechanism of control that imposes its directives.

In front of these attacks to the superior education, that every time makes the students more and more precarious, we must remain close and coordinated. Against ones from the top, others from the bases must defend their right for education; education of the people for the people. Against a few, the people majority must break the business they obligate us to bear.

For all these reasons, we appeal to all the students that put up with the EHEA to take the streets during the week before (7th to 11th of May) and during the Ministerial Summit of Education in London (16th, 17th and 18th of May) when the most important actions are going to take place and demonstrate our defeat everywhere.

Combating the capital, the education is not merchandise!!!! IF MERCANTILISM DOESN’T STOP, WE DON’T SURRENDER!! WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER

* [For example the European Commission, UNICE (Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe) or ESIB (The National Unions of Students i Europe).]


Zawra

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