"International Student Movement"

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Worldwide Press Release:

for immediate release

"Global Wave of Action for Education"

International network of education activists announces united protests for autumn 2010. Students from around the world will stage actions tomorrow against the increasing privatisation of public education and as part of the "Day of United Symbolic Actions".

October/November 2009 saw massive protests internationally against the increasing privatisation of public education and the problems that come with it, as well as for free and emancipatory education freely accessible to all like never before!

The past few months were used to strengthen the network between education activists worldwide and awareness was spread that each group will be more successful uniting in struggle globally. After all problems are to a great extend identical.

The „International Student Movement“ is an independent platform making use of various tools the internet offers to enable an extensive flow of information and general communication between activists in Australia, Nepal, the U.S.A., Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and anywhere else in the world.

Hundreds of people concerned with education from many different regions of the world came together at the Ruhr-University in Bochum (Germany) for the „European Education Congress“ at the end of May 2010 to exchange visions and tighten relations across the borders. The congress once again clearly showed that the increasing costs for individuals to access education, budget cuts in public spending on education, an increasing influence of business interests through especially set up boards and a constant de-democratisation of educational institutions – just to name a few – are far from being local or national issues, but are indeed problems people everywhere are facing. As Mutiara Ika a student activist in Indonesia puts it: „This struggle simply knows no borders!“ and continuing „free and emancipatory education is simply a pre-condition for any society deeming itself to be democratic!“

Therefore education activist groups decided to increasingly act together in their protests in the future. As a first step some of them decided to declare June 16^th a „Day of United Symbolic Actions“.
On that day groups in various locations worldwide will publicly announce the up-coming „Global Wave of Action for Education“, which is currently being co-ordinated and expected to kick-off with a huge day of action across the U.S.A. on October 7^th and continuing with occupations in Italy and across Europe. At some stage groups in Africa, Asia and elsewhere will join as well.

Here is an overview of some of the actions taking place tomorrow as part of the „Day of United Symbolic Action“:

• Germany: A statewide demonstration is taking place in Dresden called for by a huge alliance headed by the Conference of Student Bodies in the State of Saxony.
  In Marburg (state of Hesse) activists will hang a huge banner at a university building calling for the "Global Wave of Action for Education" this autumn.
  In Wilhelmshaven (state of Lower Saxony) activists will have an arts performance announcing the "global wave".
  

• Indonesia: A national group called PEMBEBASAN is mobilising for mass actions in various regions, such as Jakarta, Yogyakarta, East Kalimantan, Palu-Centre Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Madura-East Java and Temate-North Maluku. The protest is also directed against increasing prices for electricity and food, as well as for free public education.
  

• Kosovo: Activists of the NGO N'Solidaritet will perform a symbolic action in front of the Philosophy faculty at the University of Prishtina.

• Nepal: The Worldwide Nepalese Students' Organisation (WNSO) is conducting a program on Free and Emancipatory education in the capital Kathmandu. Representatives of student and teacher unions will participate.

• Philippines: The League of Filipino Students (LFS) will hold a protest action in front of the president's hourse in the capital Manila and the eight burdens of the youth: 1. tuition and other fee increases, 2. low budget for public education, 3. shortages of classrooms and inadequate facilities, 4. escalating number of drop-outs on all levels due to financial burdens, 5. exploitation of research, development and property rights, 6. export oriented curriculum labor policy, 7. closure of student councils and publications, 8. toothless government agencies.

• Puerto Rico: Student activists at the University of Puerto Rico (campus: Rio Piedras) will occupy an old building and transform it. A program has been arranged already. Details are also available here.

• Russia: A group of autonomous workers will mobilize teachers, workers within educational institutions, parents and students for a flashmob in St.Petersburg.
  The "Civil Initiative for Social Human Rights" will set up their forth picket and perform some street theatre in Samara. This action is also directed against a new federal law which implies the commercialisation of publicly financed institutions.
  

• Sierra Leone: Like in many other countries on the continent a huge alliance in Sierra Leone is having actions and events as part of the "African Child's Day". The National Youth Coalition Student Assembly will arrange rallies combining both days of action. Since both are trying to spread awareness regarding the importance of education accessible to all.

• Switzerland: A group called "Unsere Uni" (= "Our Uni") will perform a street theatre as part of the day of action in the city of Bern.

Below you will find a list of contacts to groups involved in tomorrows day of action. Feel free to contact them for more details on their local situation.

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For future updates on the „Global Wave of Action for Education“ feel free to subscribe to the newsletter [in English].

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List of contacts of some groups involved in the global network:

• France:
  Front de lutte pour l'Education
  e-Mail: front.education@gmail.com
  Phone: +33 662 469 896

• Germany:
  "Initiative Bildungsstreik Marburg"
  e-Mail: united.for.education@gmail.com
  Mobile: +49 1522 456 1455

  Konferenz Sächsischer Studierendenschaften (= Conference of Student Bodies in the State of Saxony)
  e-Mail: michaelmoschke@stura.tu-dresden.de

  "Bildungsstreik Wilhelmshaven"
  e-Mail: bildungsstreik-whv@gmx.de
  Mobile: +49 174 102 3269
  
  "Unibrennt München"
  e-Mail: netzwerk@unsereunibrennt.de
  Mobile: +49 1762 7475 335

• Indonesia:
  PEMBEBASAN
  e-Mail: kn.pembebasan@gmail.com
  Phone: +62 85 64 77 35174 (Mutiara Ika, Chairperson)

• Italy:
  Unione degli Studenti (UdS) di Cagliari
  e-Mail: mail@udscagliari.tk
  Phone: +39 345 9537351

• Kosovo:
  N'Solidaritet
  e-Mail: nsolidaritet@gmail.com
  Phone: +386 496 424 92

• Philippines:
  League of Filipino Students (LFS)
  e-Mail: lfsphilippines@gmail.com

  Terry Ridon (National Chairperson)
  e-Mail: teridon18@gmail.com
  Phone: +63 915 531 0725
  Aki Merced (International Liaison Officer)
  e-Mail: jasm.lfsupd@gmail.com
  Phone: +63 933 666 1328

• Puerto Rico:
  "Humanities Action Committee"
  e-Mail: comiteaccionhumanidades@gmail.com

• Nepal:
  Worldwide Nepalese Students' Organisation (WNSO - Nepal)
  e-Mail: yadavyadu2004@gmail.com
  Phone: +977 984 145 3923

• Russia:
  "Avtonom"
  e-Mail: dirtyjagger@gmail.com
  Phone: +7 8 921 895 25 40
  
  "Civil Initiative for Social Human Rights"
  e-Mail: nata.chindina@gmail.com
  Phone: +7 8 903 308 29 19

• Sierra Leone:
  National Youth Coalition Students' Assembly
  e-Mail: medkwak@yahoo.com (Mohamed Kanneh, National Coordinator)
  Phone: +232 77 843346