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Dear readers!
On
17 November we celebrate the International Students' Day. The European
Students' Union urges all students to use this opportunity to claim
their rights, voice out their demands and discuss their concerns. The
past year has been difficult for many students as some countries have
introduced controversial changes to student support or even abolished
it. Countries budgets for education have also been slashed, resulting in
closures of universities and financial uncertainty.
 | | Rok Primozic on the International Students' Day 2013 |
This
special edition of the Student Voice is dedicated to this occasion and
the state of current affairs in students' life. As the umbrella
organisation of 47 national unions of students in Europe, we want to
hear what you have to say! Share your ideas with us on Twitter and Facebook and tell us what values you will be fighting for on the International Students' Day! We will continue to fight for you!
 CALL FOR ACTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' DAY
17TH OF NOVEMBER - A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE November
17th known as the International Day of Students is a day of
remembrance and gratitude for the acts of those students who came before
us, many of whom dedicated their lives for the liberties and rights
that us students enjoy today - and sometimes take for granted. Go to full article.
HOW ARE STUDENTS IN EUROPE CELEBRATING THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' DAY?
There
are various creative ways in which you can celebrate this day. Follow
and join the actions of ESU's member students' unions around Europe! Go to full article.
THE STUDENTS' RIGHTS CHARTER TO REACH THE RESPECT OF STUDENTS' RIGHTS FOR ALL
Students all around Europe and the world fight every day for a better
higher education system demanding in particular free and quality
education for all. But students don't only fight for academic matters;
they are building a country's future. Therefore, students act as
citizens and fight for their global interests as citizens. Indeed,
students are key actors in the advancement of democratic societies where
every citizen can exercise their rights and truly participate and
influence the decisions of governments. Go to full article. See the Students' Rights Charter here.
FOUR STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES TELL US ABOUT THEIR OPINIONS ON CURRENT CONCERNS FOR STUDENT RELATED ISSUES
The
European Students Union on the International Day of Students 2013
decided to focus on current threats students are facing. In fact, in
recent weeks, several of ESU's member unions have faced difficult
situations in a climate of crisis and austerity carried out by most
governments. Today, Luiza Abrahamyan from ANSA (member union from
Armenia), Yana Vanglelova from NASC (member union from Bulgaria), Mikko
Valtonen from SAMOK (member union from Finland) and Ines Sanchez from
CREUP (member union from Spain) have accepted to tell us about the
fights they are carrying out at the moment, related to ESU's actions on
the International Day of Students. Go to full article.
17 PROBLEMS AND 17 SOLUTIONS FOR STUDENTS NOW!
The
Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) and the
European Students' Union (ESU) have identified 17 problems that students
currently face and solutions to those issues. Go to full article.
ESU ADVOCATES FOR STUDENTS AS FULL PARTNERS IN GOVERNANCE AT A MINISTERIAL MEETING
The
European Students' Union demands that students are not viewed as
passive consumers and advocates that students must have a word on every
aspect of governance. This argument was repeatedly defended at the last
regional meeting of ministers of education that took place in Armenia on
17 and 18 October, co-organised by the Ministry of Education and
Science of Armenia, the Council of Europe and ESU, under the aegis of
the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council
of Europe. Go to full article.
ESU SUPPORTS THE RIGHTS OF BULGARIAN STUDENTS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES
Bulgarian
students joined a massive civil demonstration on 23 October and are now
the main voice and actors fighting against corruption in the country.
The protests originated in mid-June after Oresharski's government
controversially appointed Delyan Peevski as head of the State Agency for
National Security. Since then, the protests have spread all across the
country. Go to full article.
ESU DENOUNCES ESCALATING VIOLENCE AGAINST THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY
The
European Students' Union (ESU) is extremely concerned with recent
adoptions of legislations legitimising violence against lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and queer groups of people (LGBTQ). This situation
affects students in particular as they have to face huge obstacles in
their academic and social life. Go to full article.
WHY STUDENTS DON'T GET TIRED OF STANDING UP FOR THEIR RIGHTS
Written by OBESSU, associate member of ESU
As learners, we often face situations where we are denied our rights.
School students can specifically name numerous situations where they are
confronted with hierarchical structures, unstimulating learning
environments and an education that lacks accessibility and leaves no
room for the student voice. Go to full article.
EDUCATION: A UNIVERSAL RIGHT?
Written by IGLYO, associate member of ESU
Nations
across the globe have agreed, in writing at least, that education is a
human right for all. The UN International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as
well as the European Convention on Human Rights are all examples of
international documents that uphold the principles of equal
opportunities and non-discrimination in the field of education. Go to full article.
CHANGE THE WAY: MORE SOCIETAL RESPONSIBILITY IN EDUCATION
The
national student unions FEF, fzs, UNEF, VSS-UNES-USU, UdU, ÖH and UNEL
released a joint statement in relation to the International Students'
Day 2013. You can download the statement here.
EDUCATION IS WORTH ANY COST!
A
group of European citizens has started a European Citizens' Initiative
that is proposing that countries' education budgets that are lower from
the five-year Eurozone average are to be excluded from the country's
public spending deficit. Go to full article.
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Videos from national unions of students for the International Students' Day
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Watch the video that DSF prepared urging students to vote at the
upcoming local elections, emphasising the importance to participate in
the local democracy in order to ensure better student cities around
Denmark
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This is a video from the National Students Union of Macedonia
(NSUM), explaining its function and student life in Macedonia in
general, made especially for the International Students' Day.
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Other relevant links
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| The European Students' Union, headquartered in Brussels, is the umbrella organisation
of 47 National Unions of Students from 39 European countries. ESU
represents and advocates the educational, social, economical and
cultural interests of students at the European level: European Union,
Council of Europe, UNESCO and the Bologna Follow Up Group.
Find out more about ESU on www.esu-online.org or check out our social media:
For more information, contact:
Robert Hlynur Baldursson
Communications Manager
+ 32 2 502 23 62
+ 32 473 669 894
robert@esu-online.org
ESU - European Students' Union
Rue de la Sablonnière 20
1000 Bruxelles, BELGIUM
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