We started the campaign "Education is not for sale" in 2001 with a call for an European wide strike at the universities against the commercialization of education and the GATS treaty. A lot has happened since the call was published. Governments, companies and institutions like the WTO worked on new laws and treaties to commercialize public services like education. On the other side resistance was (and still is) growing against these developments.

The GATS treaty (see:  http://www.gatswatch.org/educationoutofgats/) was one of the main issues the campaign started with, but the campaign was always about the commercialization and privatization of education in general.

Like we wrote in the introduction, students went on the street in several European countries. Lots of groups and organisations mobilized thousands of students to protest aginst neo-liberal reforms in the education sector, against budget cuts and higher fees.

In the UK tony Blairs "social democrats" are trying to introduce the so called top-up fees. About 40.000 students marched through London in October 2003 to protest against these plans and more actions took place in December and January. More actions are planned for February.

In Germany the Bertelsmann corporation is pushing (together with Mckinsey, Deutsche Bank and others) for neo-liberal reforms in the education sector (and other social sectors) and politicians are more and more willing to do what these corporations are telling them. Tutition fees are being introduced in one state after another and the federal government is starting a program now to build up "elite" universities (the "social democrat" Schroeder used the term elite universities after a partymeeting with some people of Mckinsey..). Since November 2003 students went on strike, demonstrated and occupied buildings of universities, SPD party-offices and the Bertelsmann corporation. Protests are still taking place (when not as huge as in the first 2 months).

Although the protests are more and more internationalized, we still need better networking and work more together. And we can! The days of European action on April 2nd and 3rd 2004 are a good moment to link up with other groups like the trade unions ( see their call for the European days of actions:  http://www.etuc.org/en/index.cfm?target=/EN/Press/releases/igc/ActionDay.cfm ). In Germany we and other student groups already spoke about student blocks on the demos (which are not only organized by the unions but from all different kind of grassroots organizations as well). We want to propose to mobilize for these demos, which are taking place in a lot of European capitals and other major cities (for instance in Germany in Berlin and Cologne - in France in Straßbourg). Most demos are taking place at April 3rd. At April the 2nd we call for other forms of protest on a European level. We could demonstrate at eachothers embassey and consulates, government buildings, corporations who benefit of the commercialization of education.

To discuss this and the call for April 2nd and 3rd, join our mailinglist:

English (The international list):  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/international-pupil-and-studentactions
or send an empty e-mail to:  international-pupil-and-studentactions-subscribe@yahoogroups.com


It would be good to discuss the matter at the following meeting as well:

CALL TO THE EUROPEAN MOBILIZATION AGAINST THE MERCANTILISATION OF THE EDUCATION

Collecting the reflections at the European Social Forum in Paris, we understand that in the struggle against the mercantilisation of the education we have to enter in a new stage, where the local or national struggles do not have the capacity, for themselves, to give an efficacious reply to the actual neoliberal offensive against the world of the university, and the education in general.

Today, the attacks we suffer are not only statal, and our reply neither can be in this way; front the international and european offensive, we need to act in a co-ordinated way and to start walking together.

The General Acords of Trade and Services (GATS) of the WTO –that pretend to convert the education in a simple trade- and the Process of Bologna (of european integration in the universitarian subject) are the direct causes of the universitarian reforms that we are suffering in our countries.

For theses reasons, we make a call to the companions of the student movement of whole Europe to start a common sweep of discussion and struggle that culminates, in spring, in an european student mobilization against the Process of Bologna and the GATS, in the context of the european struggle against the European Constitution project that the social movements have decided to develop.

In order to discuss about this, to co-ordinate our struggles and to prepare this mobilization that has to represent the beginning of a common run, we invite you to an EUROPEAN STUDENTS MEETING, the March 13th and 14th of 2004 in BARCELONA.

To make it productive, we ask you for sending a representative delegation of your collective or student assembly; it is not an open assembly about the European Space of Upper Education but a meeting to mark a common calendar of mobilizations.

Disobey WTO, disobey Bologna, resist from universities!

Plataforma Mobilitzadora en Defensa de la Universitat Pública
(Coordinadora d’Estudiants dels Països Catalans, Associació d’Estudiants Progressistes, Alternativa Estel, MUA, and many faculty assemblies)

P.S.: For further information, and for all the logistic aspects of the meeting in Barcelona, please contact us and confirm, the soonest as possible, if you are going to come to Barcelona, to these electronic adress:

 Internacional@coordinadora.net or  portaveu-principat@coordinadora.net