A Global Student Declaration, for a fair Future in Education. The crucial importance of the advocacy demands of the international student movement in co-building a new democratic and eco-social world.
In the framework of the path towards the World Higher Education Conference held in Barcelona in May 2022, the Global Student Forum led a democratic consultative process involving its regional platforms and national unions, student leaders and representatives from all over the world. The final goal of this effort was to outline a joint platform of demands starting from the living experience of the international student movement. Being the only one democratically legitimated independent worldwide platform for school, university and postgraduate students, the Global Student Forum decided to unify this set of 80 proposals for a new eco-social world in a Student Declaration (here the entire text).
The proposals have been organised according to nine key topics: Student Participation, Institutional Democracy & Governance; Student Academic Freedom; Academic Citizenship; Financing Higher Education as a Public Responsibility and Common Good; Inclusive Higher Education; Academic Mobility and Internationalisation; Inclusive, Fair and Democratic Digital Learning; Climate Change and Environmental Justice; The Impact of COVID 19 on Higher Education.
The keynote address will outline the background process leading up to the Declaration and the most valuable policy proposals concerning the contents of the Summit.
Sherine Omondi (Global Student Forum, Steering Committee member from CSA / Commonwealth Students Association). Sherine Omondi is an impact-driven and transformational young leader committed to the cause of youth, women and an all-inclusive society, graduate of the Young African Leaders Initiative.
Bradley Yombon-Copio (Student Representative Council – University of Papua Nuova Guinea). Bradley Yombon-Copio hails from the Pacific Island Nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG). He completed his Bachelor in Dental Surgery from the University of PNG, serving as the National University’s Student Council President. He is passionate about issues affecting youths, Access to quality Education and Healthcare in the country. He is proud of his cultural heritage and looks to talk about preserving and promoting his country’s multi-cultural heritage. He aspires to be an agent of positive change for his Country to bring positive change and help address many of the issues affecting his people in the Pacific.
Bianca Borges dos Santos (Global Student Forum, Steering Committee member from OCLAE / Organizacion Continental Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Estudiantes). Bianca is a Brazilian student, member of the National Student’s Union and of the executive secretariat of OCLAE (Continental Latin American and Caribbean Student Organisation)
Ashlegh Pfunye (Global Student Forum, Steering Committee member from AASU / All-Africa Students Union)
Avani Singh (Director – StudoMatrix). Avani Singh is currently working as the Director of the national level students’ organization Studomatrix. She has also been part of the event organizing team and head of multiple departments. She has successfully initiated a nationwide campaign to provide essential health services to people affected by Covid. She has been awarded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, UNICEF India, and different regional organizations. She has also worked as the Head of campus ambassadors and their teams for more than 20 institutions of the city that were part of the RealPolitik Minds, a national-level organization.
Alexandra Seybal (Global Student Forum, Steering Committee member from OBESSU / Organising Bureau of the European School Student Unions)