Whither Asian Labour Education?

Overview & Synopsis

Despite the initiatives from governments and unions alike, the need for worker-centred labour education still exists. Labour educators should have to be more creative in planning and running educational programs to empower workers so that they can be liberated from all forms of exploitation, no matter how such exploitation is disguised or packaged. Chan Lean Heng made an insightful summing up of the meaning and scope of labour education in a 2003 AMRC workshop for Chinese and Asian practitioners. She said it is an approach to education, one which regards education as a lifelong engagement and a lifelong struggle. Labour education involves people in a process of critical analysis so that they can act collectively to change oppressive structures. The process is participatory, creative and empowering. In this approach, one cannot separate organising and collective action from learning. The two examples provided in this article demonstrate the need for linking education and action closely. Workers will be well served by developing this kind of integrated education--whether through exchanges or other activities--to empower workers, so that the labour movement can grow and become ever more assertive.