The race to lead the National Education Union (NEU) 鈥 which represents about 450,000 school staff 鈥 will be between former president Daniel Kebede and deputy general secretary Niamh Sweeney. Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, the present joint leaders, will stand down this year, having run the union since its 2017 formation from the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL). The union will now be led by one general secretary. An election will be held after two candidates emerged from a nominations process that closed last month. Districts have nominated two candidates Kebede, who served as the union鈥檚 president last year, and Sweeney, who became the NEU鈥檚 first elected deputy general secretary in October 2021, were the only two names put forward. They had a deadline of last Monday if they wanted to withdraw. , a sixth-form college teacher and Labour councillor in Cambridge, is seen as a moderate. She was active in the ATL before the two unions merged. Her election in 2021 as deputy general secretary was seen as an upset after she beat two challengers from established factions on the left of the union. , who was active in the NUT before the new union formed, has taught in early years, primary and secondary schools and is backed by the union鈥檚 left wing. Presiding over last year鈥檚 NEU conference, Kebede defended Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, when she was heckled from the floor, describing delegates as acting like 鈥渃hildren鈥. But he faced criticism after posting an NEU statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which said the crisis must 鈥渘ot lead to the expansion and consolidation of military alliances in Europe鈥. The union later withdrew the statement 鈥減ending further discussion鈥. Bousted and Courtney to leave this year Bousted and Courtney have been prominent in the education sector and trade union movement for decades. Courtney was deputy general secretary of the NUT from 2010 to 2016, when he was elected to replace Christine Blower as its boss. He was previously a physics teacher, an NUT activist and official. Bousted ran the ATL from 2003 to 2017. She was an English teacher, a lecturer and then held senior roles in teacher training at Edge Hill and Kingston universities. Kebede said following in the joint leaders鈥 footsteps would be 鈥渁 huge task for the next single general secretary鈥, and said he was 鈥渢hrilled鈥 to be nominated. 鈥淚t is absolutely imperative that our union continues to be a force in the education debate.鈥 He said education was 鈥渋n crisis鈥, with schools, colleges and children facing the same struggles. Election will begin in February 鈥淚 am determined to lead a union that improves the lives of our members and children 鈥 one that lifts the pay of educators, wins fair funding for education, reduces workload to manageable levels, fights to end child poverty and returns joy to our classrooms.鈥 Sweeney said she was 鈥渉umbled and delighted by the support of colleagues across the country who have nominated me鈥. 鈥淭his is a really important decision about the future of the union, so it is right there is going to be an election. Democracy across all levels of our union really matters.鈥 Sweeney said she would 鈥渟upport all our members to be the best educators for all our children and young people.鈥 鈥淢embers are backing me because I鈥檓 a strong, experienced candidate. I work day-in day-out with NEU members in all sectors of education to help them achieve what they need to improve their pay and working conditions.鈥 Kebede was nominated by 101 districts while Sweeney received the backing of 25. But the election will be open to the entire membership. The poll opens on February 6 and runs until March 31.