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Acknowledgements
This book grew out of a conference jointly organised by the National Union of
Teachers (www.teachers.org.uk) and the Teacher Solidarity Research Collaborative
(www.teachersolidarity.com) in May 2014. With two exceptions, the 11 chapters are
based on presentations given by the authors at this conference. The two additions
are Maurie Mulheron’s contribution on the Australian education system and the
piece by myself and Howard Stevenson on the English education system, both of
which have been added specifically for this collection.
I want to thank all the authors who contributed both to this book and to the
conference it grew out of. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to read and edit
your papers. The conference would never have taken place were it not for Mary
Compton, founder and editor of the Teacher Solidarity website. She was both the
instigator and driving force throughout. Thanks also to Howard Stevenson; Samidha
Garg; David Wilson; Dave Harvey; Kevin Courtney; Phil Katz; Ben Chacko and the
staff of the Morning Star; Steph Gilroy-Lowe; Brendan Lee; Nick Wright at
Manifesto Press; and Catherine Little.
A special mention for Rosa & Clara Little, who remind me every day how
important it is to fight for education and for our children’s future.
Finally, I want to thank the teachers whose stories are told within these pages,
teachers risking their careers, their liberty and sometimes even their lives because of
their belief in the transformative power of education; teachers struggling across the
world for a better future for our children.
It is to them that this book is dedicated – A luta continua!
iv | Global education ‘reform’