On May 12-14, 2022, a seminar of the EZA Education Platform was held in Gdansk, devoted to the “Role of the social dialogue in financing the tasks of education during and after COVID-19”. The meeting organized in a hybrid form was attended by 23 representatives of workers’ organisations present both on-site and on-line. It was organized by KK NSZZ "Solidarność" (Komisja Krajowa NSZZ "Solidarność"), with the support of EZA and funded by the European Union.
The meeting was started by Jerzy Jaworski - Deputy Chairman of the National Commission of NSZZ "S", who emphasized the importance of the topic and the possibility of a personal meeting despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, introducing the present help provided by "Solidarność" to war refugees. Then, the participants were welcomed by Józef Mozolewski - Deputy Chairman of EZA, who thanked for the effort put into organizing the seminar and selecting the topic related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had an impact on the economies of all countries and caused many problems in the education sector. As emphasized, the war in Ukraine and the influx of many Ukrainian children to Polish schools, it is now another challenge for schools that teachers have to cope with.
Ryszard Proksa, the chairman of the educational "Solidarność", emphasized that the issue of educating refugees from Ukraine is even more serious than the problems caused by the pandemic, taking into account the lack of financial support for this sector from the EU. He also stressed that, in the absence of legal regulations, teachers are still left alone with regard to remote learning during the pandemic, which is now under discussion in the face of the expected return of the pandemic in autumn.
Then the moderator of the meeting, Elżbieta Wielg - an expert of the National Commission of NSZZ "Solidarność" welcomed the participants, presented the topic and the modified agenda of the meeting.
The first presentation was given by Tomasz Gryczan, a representative of NSZZ "Solidarność" on the impact of the war in Ukraine on education in Poland, focusing on the challenges, expectations and possible solutions to the existing problems. He also talked about the international cooperation of interested parties (including the European Commission, the Ministry of Education and Science, teachers) related to the refugee crisis in the science and education sector. “Solidarność” expects to unblock funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for infrastructure and other EU funds necessary for education and assistance, including psychological support for children from war-torn areas. Another idea pushed by trade unions is to strengthen branch education, as there have been shortages among technical specialists for many years. On the issue of social dialogue, “Solidarność” were not allowed to take part in the meeting devoted on the refugee crisis, which is strange due to the lack of voice of teachers on a matter in which they are directly involved. Summing up, he pointed out that Polish science and education did not receive additional financial aid after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, and the situation is very dynamic and changes almost every day.
Next presentation was given by Vesna Zarkovic - GSPRS Nezavisnost expert from Serbia on the model of financing educational tasks during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of the model and the role of social partners in its development and implementation. Most schools are public and during the pandemic they had to switch to distance learning, which was a very big challenge for the society. They received part of the funds for infrastructure from the European Central Bank, intended, inter alia, for high-speed internet and computer equipment such as laptops and tablets. Teachers had many challenges, such as communication and lesson planning, as well as a lack of digital skills and psychological support for students, which resulted in a lack of motivation among this group. In Serbia, teachers have 25 days off, use their private computers, organize digital materials for remote learning themselves, and the salaries are average and they have to earn extra money on private lessons.
At the end of the first day after the debate, Jerzy Elwartowski from KSOiW NSZZ "Solidarność" gave a presentation on the same topic from the perspective of Poland, presenting the legal provisions on the Act on financing educational tasks and the Act on the income of local government units. From this income, the general educational subsidy and its reserves are separated, which are at the disposal of the competent Minister of Finance after consulting the Minister of Education. The subsidy is then divided between municipalities based on the number of conversion students. Among the disadvantages of the Polish model, he pointed out that the subsidy distribution algorithm does not provide an objective, clear and transparent method of calculating the necessary funds due to the lack of taking into account, for example, the wealth of local governments. Among the positives, he pointed to the flexibility of expenditure by local government units and the possibility of a quick reaction to change. It is also a stable source of income, regardless of economic changes. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan includes PLN 2.4 billion for computer hardware, software and teacher training in the use of modern technologies in the event of a pandemic return. Additionally, for industry vocational training, development of research infrastructure and thermal modernization of schools and educational institutions. So far, these funds have been blocked by the European Commission and Poland cannot take advantage of them.
In the following days, the participants of the seminar listened to subsequent presentations on the models of financing educational tasks in Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria, and conducted debates on the impact of the pandemic on social dialogue in the context of the digital revolution, as well as talked about new issues and areas of work for the Educational Platform in the future.
The situation in Portugal was presented by Maria Reina Martin (FIDESTRA), where the "School + 21-23" project was introduced to compensate for the damage caused by 2 years of the pandemic, allocating an additional EUR 900 million to education, among others for: psychological assistance, technical infrastructure and additional educational activities. As part of this project, they opened, among others digital labs to improve children's digital skills. Presenting her country's education system, she emphasized the increase in the number of teachers, with a simultaneous decline in salaries and the prestige of the teaching profession.
Yuliyan Petrov from SEP presented the situation in the education sector in Bulgaria, where a collective agreement was negotiated for additional days off after vaccination and illness, and 2 increases were made guaranteeing 125% of the average gross salary in the country. Despite this, they are the lowest in the entire EU. Social dialogue was also reformatted to remote, so that they met even more often than usually, although with less intensity. At least at the national level, it represented some added value and therefore this form of meetings will be used also by trade unions in the future. Initially, the biggest problem for teachers was excessive stress, which increased the risk of burnout and the risk of serious health problems.
Imma Badia Camprubi from Spain (USO), gave another online presentation on the same topic, presenting the education system and sources of its financing, including additional EUR 16 million allocated to fighting the effects of the pandemic. The social effects of mental health, job loss, and anxiety were just as severe as in other countries. Concerning social dialogue there was no consultation of the legislation with trade unions during the pandemic, which now results in protests across the country.
After the lunch break, a series of plenary debates began. First, the possibilities and conditions for applying the presented solutions in other countries were discussed. The participants exchanged information and good practices, taking into account the conditions of a given country. Then it was discussed whether the period of the pandemic changed the social dialogue and how social partners should integrate the phenomenon of digital transformation in their activities. Participants emphasized that remote meetings ensure quick and easy contact, especially in crisis situations, but that there is no substitute for direct meeting of the parties and face-to-face discussions, also outside the agenda. Nevertheless, the opportunity to quickly meet in a larger group on the Internet platform will remain as a tool of social dialogue forever. The disadvantage of such a solution is a certain radicalism of views and the lack of brakes in expressing one's views, decisions are made faster, without the need for in-depth conversation, which is crucial when making responsible decisions. It was pointed out that regardless of the form in which the meeting takes place, the problem is that it is too late to send studies or draft legal acts, and sometimes even the scope of the talks what is a bigger problem than the form of meetings itself. In terms of the problems necessary for discussion in the future, examples were also cited of an increase in aggression and violence, not only among students, but also against teachers. We have lost our social competences, which trade unions should also work on and invest in. The issue of bullying is a very big problem and an important issue to be raised during future meetings of the Platform. Bullying or peer violence, is recognized by the WHO as one of the greatest threats to the mental health of both children and adolescents. Approx. 26% of students in Spain have been affected by this phenomenon both personally and online (cyberbullying). The average age of a victim of this phenomenon is 13 years, therefore it is necessary to provide mental support and make appropriate investments in this area.
Other ideas for future topics are: inclusive education on fake news or cybercrime, population migration, including the assimilation of war refugees and good practices in lifelong learning. According to participants from Portugal, topics for the future are: analytical processes, the development of new technologies and artificial intelligence in education. It was indicated that during other EZA events, the topic of education should also be addressed there. Participants discussed the funds allocated to education, emphasizing that it is not only about adding money, but about modifying the system, checking how it is spent and promoting and disseminating the slogan "education as an investment in society, not an economic cost".
Then the moderator, Elżbieta Wielg, presented the Report on the activities of the Education Platform for the period 2016-2022, pointing to the biggest problems faced by this branch. She pointed to the problem of the decline in the prestige of the teaching profession, which should be rebuilt using appropriate tools and also discussed in larger EZA forums, and not only within a small working group. She presented the goals of the Platform, working methods, meeting places and topics discussed during the meetings. She pointed to 3 factors influencing the effectiveness: the quality of the speakers, the actual exchange of experiences, taking actions by trade unions between meetings on the topics discussed. She proposed a discussion within her own countries on redefining the principles of operation and the method of increasing the effectiveness of the Platform. The participants proposed to publish a small folder promoting the work and achievements of the Platform.
The greatest common challenge for all participating countries was the mental health and social skills of the children who suffered the most during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, this has been recognized by national Governments and various countermeasures have been implemented. In order to strengthen the aid, it is also important to activate the EU aid and to strengthen the social dialogue in this area. The final element was the debate on what needs have to be done to make better use of social dialogue in global crisis situations. As the main conclusion of the seminar, participants emphasized that education is not a cost, but a long-term investment. After exchanging opinions and suggestions, the moderator ended the seminar.