On November 17, International Students’ Day took place. A moment of reflection was due. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the lives of students and their experience with education has been insurmountable. For some the move to remote learning was seamless. For others, however, it was marked by vulnerability, fragility, turbulence and a lack of adequate support. The pandemic amplified many pre-existing inequalities and the cracks of underfunding, poor teacher conditions and wages, inadequate home support for marginalised groups began to become evermore wide. This can be said both within and between countries.
The Global Student Forum, the independent and democratic platform of school and university students globally (of which is OBESSU is a member)calls for a transnational mobilisation on funding education. The message is simple: recover better, without cutting our future. This campaign builds on last year’s campaign, focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students all over the world, with a global online congress as well as a social media campaign: it was also the very first major initiative organised by the new-born Global Student Forum.
Be sure to take a look at the statement here!