1. e4aLL Educating, Empowering, Engaging and Extending Solidarity among Youth for the Issue of Education Presentation by the Asian Students AssociationDecember 12, 2006

2. What is education? • It is a right. • It is a state responsibility. • It is not a commodity. • It is and should be for all. • It is and should therefore be scientific, liberating, critical and oriented to benefit the many.

3. What is youth participation? • Youth Participation involves: • Educating • Empowering • Engaging, and • Extending solidarity among the youth on issues and concerns that are either or both sectoral and national.

4. Educating • Discussing the problems and situation at the grassroots level • Gathering information in the area • Studying and reviewing existing policies, circulars, laws, etc. • Creating analysis and formulating modes of action and resolutions • Informing the students and the youth about the issue

5. Empowering • Creating plans of actions and developing a campaign • Formulating demands, calls and strategies • Reaching out to other youth organizations, academic sections like teachers & non-teaching personnel, supportive officials and politicians • Drumbeating and starting the campaign

6. Engaging • Identifying people to engage with: • university administration • state and related government agencies • International institutions, i.e. UNESCO • Identifying forms of engagements • dialogues, petition signing, advocacies • legislation and parliamentary engagement • “parliament of the streets”

7. Extending solidarity • Gathering and weaving the campaigns into a regional one • Raising the concerns and soliciting support and solidarity from fellow youth organizations • Taking the issue up with international institutions, i.e. UNESCO

8. Our Experience: New Zealand • NZUSA takes on the issues of student debt, increasing fees, privatization of education • They engage students in the whole campaign through statements, education drives, mass actions, giving pressures to concerned authorities • Legislation in favor of their demands and calls has been welcomed although policies on raising fees and unabated education continue

9. Our Experience: Philippines • LFS, NUSP, CEGP with other youth organizations have developed a comprehensive analysis of the Philippine education • They have engaged not only with the education agency but with the likes of the military department at some point • Policies like Education Act of 1982 resulted from the campaigns although loop holes legitimize fee hikes and repression • Campus Journalism Act of 1991 was a big stumbling block • REFUND campaign (2006) rolling and getting successful • Engagement is not only with state but school authorities

10. Our Experience: Burma • Build a school campaign was international. • Various nationalities, i.e. Karen, engaged in the creation of literacy centers as well as linked up with universities outside Burma for sponsored internships • Makeshift schools for informal education are created in the Thai-Burma border • Members like ABSDF and ABFSU are involved as well as KSNG, NYF, etal.

11. Our Experience: Nepal • ANNFSU engages with the interim government for a clear-cut, concrete policy on education. • ANNFSU links up with various youth organizations on this endeavor

12. Challenges • The GATS and the continuing liberalization and commodification of education • Implementation by various states of the privatization policy while gradually cutting the subsidy on education • Repression of students and youth’s democratic rights • Continuous dropping out of schools by students • Labor migration

13. We are witnesses, yet we dare act. • Continuous engagement through intensified campaigns • Creation and strengthening of alliances and networks • Regionalizing the campaign for education and engaging with international institutions • Maximizing various forms of actions, engagements and mobilizations