Students and teachers say junk APEC now!
Often ignored and dismissed as an unimportant sector by policy makers and particularly this time even by some of those who profess affinity with oppressed and exploited peoples, we students and teachers participants to the People's Conference Against Imperialist Globalization (PCAIG) salute BAYAN for recognizing our voice and positive contributions to the growing anti-imperialist movement.
Students and teachers are not spared by imperialism. They are in fact targets of it.
Whereas the educational system continues to be in crisis and youth and students are the ones directly bearing the brunt of this crisis. Education has been commodified and is subject to the dictates of foreign and national elite interests. Access to and the quality of education are therefore determined by policies that complement the ever growing needs of global trade, services and capital. Education as designed today is geared towards the creation of subservient, cheap and skilled labor force, career- oriented, individualistic, apathetic and apolitical youth and students.
Whereas the policies directed toward the so-called "rationalization" of educational institutions is continually eroding the level of wages and endagering the job security of teachers, and other workers in education. Simultaneously subtle and blatant forms of repression in the academe is increasing.
Whereas the current educational system is used as a training ground for flexible labour and as an ideological pillar to co-opt and oppress students and teachers. Maintained and operated by imperialism through its machinery like the state, the educational system is likewise up for investment and profit. To safeguard the educational system from progressive ideas, resistance and activism, the state does not hesitate to curtail and violate students' and teachers' democratic rights.
Whereas with the current offensive of imperialist globalization, education at all levels are being altered to suit the demands of the so-called global economy, which means integrating the current school system into the world market for the sake of having globally competitive education.
Whereas globalization is about to guarantee basic education for all but not all will have the opportunity to pursue higher education. The withdrawal of state subsidy to education, deregulation of tuition fees and privatization of colleges and universities prevent the majority of youth and students from going beyond basic education. Clearly, the intention is merely to increase the number of literate and easily trained workers. With globalization, a
reserve army of young drop-outs is created and eventually absorbed as cheap and underpaid workers in the labour market. Globalization legalizes the hijack by TNCs of the content and thrust of education which they design to suit their own needs.
Whereas students and teachers have consistently struggled against onslaught of imperialism on education. This take different forms such as student communes, occupation, barricades, protest actions, and even dialogues and through direct participation in community development and people's struggle.
Whereas students and teachers do not believe that APEC and globalization can solve the crisis in education. What we believe is that globalization only strengthens imperialist control on education and APEC hastens this process. The crisis then will only worsen, for globalization is imperialism as we have always known it.
We therefore resolve:
1. To further expose and struggle against APEC and globalization as a whole and not only from students and teachers perspective. We recognize that while youth and students and teachers have to focus on education, APEC and globalization impact on our lives beyond the four walls of the classroom. Therefore, we need to defeat it in totality. Students and teachers have to strengthen links with other sectors that are waging militant struggles against
APEC and globalization. We believe that our struggle against APEC and globalization will be successful if and only if it is situated in the overall struggle of our peoples and we embrace theirs as our own struggles as well.
2. To deepen our analysis on education. We believe that it is crucial at this point in time to reflect on the conduct of the youth and students and teachers movement against imperialist education. We recognize the need to furthen sharpen our analysis, calls and demands on education.
3. To develop closer links with allies in the academic community.
4. To build closer cooperation amongst youth and students and teachers organizations in Asia Pacific and in other continents so as to wage a unified and concerted campaign for a mass-oriented, pro-people, liberating and liberative education.