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http://www.esib.org/commodification/documents/trade_kuehn.pdf GLOBALIZATION, TRADE AGREEMENTS AND EDUCATION Trade deals prevent governments from protecting education” by Larry Kuehn Perhaps the worst part of all the current emphasis is that it crowds out the traditional and valuable functions of education in a democratic society. It pushes to the side social and cultural and ethical goals. It makes central a view of students sitting in our classes as "human capital" to be prepared for "global competition." It leads to a counselor at my children’s school telling a parent meeting what the school is doing to prepare students to meet the goals set out in the Conference Board of Canada’s chart of "employability skills." Whether that is the right list, or whether it is the most important thing the school should be doing with my children, is not even a question. It places priority on business-education "partnerships," providing influence to business at much less cost than paying the portion of taxes that corporations paid 30 years ago. It encourages the adoption of business models to the procedures for administering education. Read the Phi Delta Kappan for the latest application of Demming’s Total Quality Management to education; the latest site-based management proposals; the loose/tight structure of transnational corporations, setting indicators and reporting on outcomes. And, of course, business impact in our schools leads us back to exclusive contracts with Pepsi and bank ads in exam booklets, commercial activity in the school as a way of training our young people that "choice" is about which product we will consume, rather than which democratic decision we will make in and for our community. My friends tell me I should hand out Prozac when I write about these issues, because otherwise I leave behind a lot of depressed people. But that’s not the way I feel. The very term "globalization" makes the problems seem overwhelming. And, I guess, if we try to challenge everything at once, it is overwhelming. But I want to tell you about actions being taken by people who will not accept making everything into a commodity; who will not accept the loss of democracy to corporate definition of what is acceptable. The first example is that of a campaign to oppose the creation of the "Youth News Network" (YNN) in Canada. The promoters of YNN want to imitate a program in the U.S. called Channel One. It is a commercial television in the classroom scam that has reached into some 10,000 schools in the U.S. You may have heard about Channel One’s "success." In return for free TV dishes and equipment, schools contract to have their students watch a 12-minute program each day, including commercials. As the Unplug project describes it, Channel One "auctions-off learning time to the makers of junk food and designer sneakers." However, in the U.S. many schools are so desperate for resources that they have been willing to accept any offers of support under any conditions. Research done on which schools signed up showed that Channel One targeted those that served the economically poorer students. With schools so desperate for funds, you might think that it would be hopeless to challenge this most blatant commercialization of public schools. However, both a youth organization, Unplug, and the National Education Association have fought Channel One. They did this by going after the advertisers. They have encouraged the divestment of state school employee pension funds from the companies that buy ads on Channel One. In Canada, activists across the country have also been vigilant in monitoring attempts to start up the Channel One copycat, YNN. When news appears of the latest effort to get YNN going, e-mail messages are exchanged within the loose network of people opposed to this form of corporate intervention in the schools. They do research and exchange information, and they seek out allies among organizations like teacher unions and parent groups. It is not enough, though, to just oppose these commercial and corporate interventions in the public schools. It is essential that the campaign make the link to the larger issues of globalization, to point out that the loss of education resources from public sources and the opening of the schoolroom door to corporations create the conditions for these projects. Only if governments reassert their responsibilities will public education be free of daily fights over corporate intervention. Taking on issues one at a time makes the task seem less overwhelming. Effective organizing and working with allies in coalitions can bring success on particular issues. Successes, even if small, play a crucial role in helping people get past the sense that nothing can be done to alleviate, let alone challenge the forces of globalization. If YNN can be kept out of Canadian schools, it is possible to expect that other victories are possible as well. For more examples, look to some events in Mexico. During May of 1997, tens of thousands of teachers took over the streets of Mexico City. They were demanding improvements in their salaries, devastated by the post-NAFTA economic problems that have plagued Mexico. They also made social demands on behalf of their students, to provide free textbooks and meals for children who were coming to school hungry. In the past, this would have gone unnoticed by us in Canada and by our colleagues in the U.S. Now, however, because of the contacts made through the last months and years, an informal network exists--the Tri-national Coalition in Defense of Public Education. It has been built on a shared consciousness that education systems in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. all face new levels of challenge because of the impact of globalization, particularly in the form of NAFTA. The sections of the Mexican teacher union representing the teachers who were on strike reported that they printed and distributed the solidarity messages received from unions in Canada and the U.S. This backing, a union organizer said, was "extremely important" in providing moral support to the strikers, who had to endure very difficult conditions, financially, personally and politically. This is an example of what writer Jeremy Brecher calls "globalization from below," finding ways to build connections between the needs, aspirations and strengths of groups on a transnational basis to challenge the damage from a globalization that is out of control. Single acts of solidarity--internationally and at home--can be helpful, but they won’t build the needed institutional connections. Maude Barlow from the Council of Canadians reminds us of the ongoing challenge that we can expect from the North American Free Trade Commission. She calls this "an unelected fourth level of government." It is this Commission that has the mandate to press for further and further harmonization among the countries within NAFTA-- both currently and as it grows to include other countries in the Americas. http://www.esib.org/commodification/documents/index.htm
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