Corporates lobbying to reform public education
As announced in my previous entry, I want to write about the corporate influence - in particular by Bertelsmann - on the reforms currently taking place in the education sector within the EU.
Since the last few months students across Germany have been protesting aggressively against the introduction of a new law, which includes tuition fees. In the last years several governments started to introduce neo-liberal reforms in Europe (and beyond).
Hundreds of thousand students and uni staff have been protesting in Greece 
against reforms in the higher education sector; almost all facilities were under occupation by students.
In the UK there are plans for even higher tuition fees. The liberal democrats kicked off a campaign to scrap tuition fees.
In France the government recently announced further neo-liberal reforms for the education sector.
In Scottland discussions to introduce tuition fees are taking place.
Resistance is growing all across Europe. And it's not just Europe, other parts of the world are effected as well:
In Canada tuition fees are increasing and thousands of students were protesting only in March this year against this development.
For the past decades tuition fees have soared in the U$ of A. Protests took place across the country.
In Australia where tuition fees already exist further neo-liberal reforms at unis are being discussed:
"The paper, authored by Andrew Norton, argues that the cap on loans to full fee paying students is too low. The current cap allows for loans during a lifetime of $50,950."
In Zimbabwe students demolished a police station in protest of rising tuition fees in March this year, after a 1,000 percent fee increase.
In the Philippines a nude protest against a hike in tuition fees took place:
"Protesters called attention to the situation of some 13 million youngsters who do not have access to education because of high tuition and government neglect."
In Taiwan protests were held against (yep, you guessed it) tuition fee hikes:
""The tuition hike reflects the problem of the commercialization of education and the unfair taxation system. In the long run, [the ministry's] proposed tuition aid will not help the unprivileged," remarked Jian Shu-hui (
In China suicides are no rare side effect of tuition fees, which of course also keep rising:
"College tuition fees were introduced in China in 1989, when each student had to pay 200 yuan (US$24) annually. When the experimental reform period ended in 1996, charges began to rise sharply. That year, many colleges and universities raised their fees to 2,000 yuan (US$240).
By 2000, annual tuition fees in most colleges and universities exceeded 4,000 yuan (US$482). And this year, fees for most subjects were around 5,000 yuan (US$602).
Charges for subjects such as foreign languages and medicine are even higher, between 5,000 to 6,000 yuan (US$602- US$723) in Beijing-based institutions. Fees in colleges of art have risen beyond 10,000 yuan (US$1,205)."
As you can see, education is changing rapidly in the whole world.
In more and more states in Germany state governments are introducing fees. Currently the social democrats pretend to oppose the idea of tuition fees, but don't forget: just three years ago they lobbied for fees.
Only two years ago nobody - including the green party - seemed to oppose plans to introduce tuition fees.
Take a look at Spain for instance. The L.O.U. (Ley Organica de Universidades), which provoked massive protests across the country:
"Spain is committed to adopting the necessary measures to integrate its system fully into the educational systems of the EHES. As a response to this commitment, in February 2003 the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (MECD) published the framework document, "The integration of the Spanish universtiy system in the European Higher Education Space", which develops the principles enshrined in the L.O.U. and acts as a starting point for a reform procedures in Spain [against its own people]."
Found on the homepage of the University of Navarra; Spain in the Bologna Process
Bravo!
Obviously the European Union member states want to be big players on the fast growing world education market and in order to adchieve this the Dutch government asked the European Union to demand in the ongoing GATS (General Agreement for Trade in Services) negotiations acces to the US education market and the European Convention skipped article 133 (paragraph 6) of the Nice treaty, which states: "agreements relating to trade in cultural and audiovisual services, educational services, and social and human health services" should not be up for sale in the same manner and therefore be excluded from privatisation.
Now, what is GATS?
GATS is a World Trade Organization (WTO) treaty which, according to the European Commission, is "first and foremost an instrument for the benefit of business". For example European corporations like the German Bertelsmann Group are the ones who are pushing forward the GATS treaty and also the ones who are behind the changes of the education sector in Europe. Bertelsmann is using different organisations to achieve one of their goals: the commercialisation and in the end the privatisation of education. In Germany for instance the Bertelsmann foundation introduced a project which is called "Selbstständige Schulen" (which means 'independent schools') in cooperation with the state government of North Rhine Westphalia. The Bertelsmann foundation is in control of the management of the participating schools in this project, which includes over 200 public(!) (haha, very funny!) schools.
The Center for the development of Higher Education (CHE) is another project of the Bertelsmann foundation (in cooperation with the Hochschulrektorenkonferenz (hrk) - the voice of Bertelsm... umm... I mean, universities and other institutes of higher education of course (a classic example of how democracy functions).
[das ganze gibt es mehr oder weniger auch auf deutsch hier]
The CHE is a neo-liberal think-tank which promotes tuition fees and 'independent' - independent of the state, but very much dependant on private finances - universities in Germany. They are a big player in the European Services Forum, a very influencial lobby group in Brussels which was founded to lobby the European Union politicians during the ongoing GATS negotiations. Obviously CHE also influences German politicians in their policy making. Part of its lobbying is to conduct manipulated surveys, so that students are seen to be supporting tuition fees.
In a press release from 5th Feburary 2003 the European Commission writes, that they won't propose any engagements in the fields of public health, audiovisual services and education in the current GATS negotiations. An internal EU report made clear, that new concessions in the fields of education, public health (see reforms taking place in public health in Germany right now, 'Gesundheitsreform') and audiovisual services were took off the EU-proposition for the following GATS negotiations because of a veto. Thus there has been a majority to make further concessions in the named fields. Because of the above mentioned article 133 (paragraph 6) in the Treaty of Nice of the EU every member state has a right of veto in the vote for the sections of education, health and social policy and some states made use of it. But this is exactly what was suppose to be changed with the new EU constitution. Only the field of audiovisual services should be an exception - there the right of veto would still exist -, in the other fields the majority of the member states would decide.
Thanks to the people in France and Holland, politicians didn't manage to push this constitution through. But they'll try again, that's for sure.
To put pressure on corporations that want to make money with a commercialised education system, we should remember that we don't have to buy products of companies like the Bertelsmann group - the empire that consists of book clubs with 25 million members worldwide, record labels like RCA, BMG, Ariola and Arista, 22 TV and 22 radio stations, like RTL, RTL2, Super-RTL and Vox, 75 magazins (publisher Gruner+Jahr; like Stern, Brigitte, Geo, Capital ...), 34 of which you can find in Germany alone, plus 10 newspapers (like the Berliner Zeitung, die Dresdner Morgenpost ...).
It is no surprise that this corporation (like others) is keen to get its hands on the education sector, which is worth billions of Euros, and therefore lobbies consistantly for its privatisation.
The Bertelsmann AG is not alone. Industries are always searching for new markets. The education sector is one of those attractive markets. But in order to sell your products you need to push back the public sector.
Bertelsmann building in New York
Among the major lobby groups that support the privatisation of education and therefore the introduction of tuition fees are:
Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände (BDA) - a nationwide organization lobbying for the interests of employers
Deutsche Industrie- und Handelskammertag (DIHK) - German Chamber of Commerce and Industry
But also other industries profit from tuition fees. For example banks, as many students will be forced to take up loans.
Now, another aspect to consider is what consequences the privatisation of the education sector will have on the content taught in schools and universities. Of course corporate 'projects', 'initiatives' and 'networks' in connection with public institutions present themself to be neutral and even appear to be almost of altruistic nature. If you take a look at the university brochures made of shiny high quality paper the corporate 'partners' always state that their engagement is directly linked to the longterm good of the general public, for better education and job opportunities for all and of course to increase the city', state', country's competitiveness on the global market. How noble-minded!
Often economists insist that with their projects students are being prepared for their job in future.
More and more one can hear politicians talking about the importance of 'promoting an Elite'.
An example is 'Vision D', an initiative founded by the Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft (IW) - institute of German economics - and Initiative für eine Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM) - initiative for a new social free economy (another corporate lobby group).
Of course the highly indebted government welcomes such offers by corporate powers with open arms. No wonder, after ongoing tax cuts and increasing subsidies for corporates and the super-rich.
Of course Bertelsmann AG owning much of the media in Germany, won't leave this tool unused to get the masses on its side by simply keep repeating what a failure public schools are and that private investment by corporates presents an easy solution.
INSM are doing their part as well, to get teachers on their side by providing 
whole institutes, incl. the teachers themself, with books and other material and offering them free seminars (e.g. internet courses).
The INSM is working on developing networks in each state of Germany (since each state is responsible for its education policies). To take a look at the networks: WirtschaftUndSchule.De (in German)
Another example is the Ökonomische Bildung Online (ÖBO) (in German). Btw, behind the nice name 'Gemeinschaftsinitiative soziale Marktwirtschaft' hides the Bertelsmann Stiftung again.
ÖBO is an online portal founded not just to provide teachers with material, but also to qualify and educate the next generation of teachers. In the near future they will also export material to Poland and Russia, so that teachers-to-be will get to enjoy a 'proper qualification' over there as well.
I could go on and on. There are many more ways corporates try to get involved and profit from public services such as education. The education sector in Germany is just one example of many.
Is this the democracy we are so proud of? (Well, at least some are.) Is this the democracy we -the West- bomb countries for to implement it there?
Did anyone listen to Blair two nights ago (1st Aug) at the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles? He kept saying that the wars the West starts around the globe are a fight for values!! Dear Mr. Blair, you think our capitalist values are so wonderful? Stop blurring the picture and repeating the propaganda formulated in the White House. These wars are about resources and geo-strategic gains. They are about greed and power. This is capitalism, Mr. Blair!
Anyway, let me get back to the actual topic.
To take a look on how students in the UK are struggling against the privatisation process click on this banner:
Or to get an idea of how the French students resist the neo-liberal reforms: Luttes-Etudiantes.Com
In India students are fighting against the advancing commercialization: UNESCO.Org
"Education is a human right and an essential tool for achieving the goals of equality, development and peace.... Actions to be taken: ... Advance the goal of equal access to education by taking measures to eliminate discrimination in education at all levels on the basis of gender, race, language, religion, national origin, age or disability, or any other form of discrimination .... By the year 2000, provide universal access to basic education and ensure completion of primary education by at least 80 per cent of primary school-age children; close the gender gap in primary and secondary school education by the year 2005; provide universal primary education in all countries before the year 2015.... Reduce the female illiteracy rate to at least half its 1990 level.... [Ensure] that women have equal access to career development, training.... Improve ... quality of education and ... equal ... access ... to ensure that women of all ages can acquire the knowledge, capacities, ... skills ... needed to develop and to participate fully ... in the process of ... development...."
Beijing Platform for Action, para. 69, 80, 81, and 82
"We ... commit ourselves to promoting and attaining the goals of universal and equal access to quality education,... making particular efforts to rectify inequalities relating to social and economic conditions ... without distinction as to race, national origin, gender, age, or disability, respecting and promoting our common and particular cultures. Quality education for all [is] fundamental to ensuring that people of all ages are able to develop their full capacities ... and to participate fully in the social, economic and political processes of human settlements.... We ... commit ourselves to ... Promoting ... appropriate facilities for ... education, combating segregation and discriminatory and other exclusionary policies and practices, and recognizing and respecting the rights of all, especially of women, children, persons with disabilities, people living in poverty and those belonging to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups...."
The Habitat Agenda, para. 2.36 and 3.43
"Education is empowerment. It is the key to establishing and reinforcing democracy, to development which is both sustainable and humane and to peace founded upon mutual respect and social justice. Indeed, in a world in which creativity and knowledge play an ever greater role, the right to education is nothing less than the right to participate in the life of the modern world."
Amman Affirmation, 1996
But who cares about human rights?! After all, corporate interests are at stake!
As you can see, the commercial and industrial forces are very well organized to have their interests effectively pushed through with the help of politicians. Many countries have their own Bertelsmann AG.
So let's get organized to resist the declaration of war against us!
To stay informed on what actions take place in Germany you can visit the following sites:
Germany.Indymedia.Org, Uerbergebuehr.De (unfortunatly both just available in German, but I will also try to frequently post updates here)
And the struggle continues...
[Student protest updates from around the world can be found here now.]
~peace&solidarity~
