World Teacher Day, October 5th.
اليوم العالمي للمعلمين
5 October 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of World Teachers’ Day.
An education system is only as good as its teachers. Teachers are essential to universal and quality education for all: they are central to shaping the minds and attitudes of the coming
generations to deal with new global challenges and opportunities. Innovative, inclusive and results-focused teaching is crucial for 2015 and beyond if we are to
provide the best possible opportunities for millions of children, youth and adults worldwide.
In many countries, the quality of education is undermined by a deficit of teachers. An extra 1.4 million teachers are needed in classrooms across the world to achieve universal primary education by 2015, and 3.4 million additional teachers will be needed by 2030, according to the
UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Added to the challenge of numbers is the issue of quality. All too often, teachers work without resources or proper training. The stakes are high: we face today a global learning crisis, with 250 million children not learning the basics, over half of whom have spent four years in school. Equipping teachers to succeed is therefore a priority. This means rigorous training, better conditions for employment, quality-based teacher recruitment, thoughtful deployment and attracting new teachers and talents, especially young people and women from under-represented communities.
Reflecting on the lead-up to, and looking beyond, 2015, the Global Thematic Consultation on Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda aptly sums up the essentials for supporting teachers’ effectiveness as follows:
(1) decent conditions of employment, including appropriate contracts and salaries, and prospects for career progression and promotion;
(2) good conditions in the work environment, based on creating school contexts that are conducive to teaching;
(3) high-quality pre-and in-service training for teachers, based on respect for human rights and the principles of inclusive education; and
(4) effective management, including teacher recruitment and deployment.
Moreover, quality teaching depends on teachers enjoying basic rights, such as protection from violence, academic freedom and the freedom to join independent unions. Protecting teachers' rights also helps them to promote the safety and security of the girls and boys in their charge; we must insist that schools remain a protective space for children and teachers.
Children and young people are at the heart of society. A good education enables them, as global citizens, to respond to the challenges of a complex world, and contribute to building peaceful and sustainable communities.
The teachers of today and tomorrow need the skills, knowledge and support that will enable them to meet the diverse learning needs of every girl and boy. We must remember that teachers are an investment for the future.
The international community and governments must stand united to support teachers and quality education worldwide, and especially in those countries where the highest number of out-of-school
children exists. We invite you to join us in spreading the message that 5 October is World Teachers’ Day and that investing in teachers means investing in the future.
Irina Bokova, Director -General, UNESCO
Guy Ryder, Director-General, ILO
Anthony Lake, Executive Director, UNICEF
Helen Clark, Administrator, UNDP
Fred van LEEUWEN, General Secretary, Education International
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Data shows standards being sacrificed to fill teacher shortage gap.
In the rush to fill the chronic, global shortage of teachers many countries are sacrificing standards and undermining progress by hiring people with little or no training, concludes a new UNESCO policy paper, published on World Teachers Day 2014.
Prepared by UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (UIS) and the EFA Global Monitoring Report (GMR), it shows that at least 93 countries have an acute teacher shortage, and need to recruit some four million teachers to achieve universal primary education by 2015.
If the deadline is extended to 2030, more than 27 million teachers need to be hired, 24 million of whom will be required to compensate for attrition, according to UIS data. At present rates, however, 28 (or 30%) of these 93 countries will not meet these needs. Sub-Saharan Africa faces the greatest teacher shortage, accounting for two-thirds of the new teachers needed by 2030. The problem is exacerbated by a steadily growing school-age population.
“A quality universal primary education will remain a distant dream for millions of children living in countries without enough trained teachers in classrooms,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO. “Teachers are the core of any education system. Hiring and training new and already established teachers is fundamental to protecting children’s ability to learn in school.
’ Under pressure to fill gaps, many countries are recruiting teachers who lack the most basic training. According to UIS data, in one-third of countries with data, fewer than 75% of primary school teachers were trained according to national standards in 2012. In Angola, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and South Sudan, this figure falls below 50%. As a result, in roughly a third of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the GMR shows that the challenge of training existing teachers is greater than that of recruiting new teachers to the profession.
“Putting well-intentioned instructors in front of huge classrooms and calling them teachers will not deliver our ambitions to have every child in school and learning,” said Aaron Benavot, director of the EFA Global Monitoring Report. “We have prepared a new Advocacy Toolkit for teachers to help us relay these messages to their governments. Teachers, better than anyone else, can relay how teacher shortages and a lack of training are making it just about impossible to deliver a quality education”.
Countries must ensure that all new teacher candidates have completed at least secondary education. Yet the GMR shows that the numbers of those with this qualification in many countries are in short supply: eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa would have to recruit at least 5% of their secondary school graduates into the teaching force by 2020. Niger would need to recruit up to 30%.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the cost of paying the salaries of the additional teachers required by 2020 totals an extra US$5.2 billion per year, according to UIS projections, before counting for training, learning materials and school buildings. With the greatest number of children out of school in the world, Nigeria alone will need to allocate an extra US$1.8 billion per year.
“The good news is that most countries can afford to hire the extra teachers if they continue to steadily increase investment in education,” said Hendrik van der Pol, director of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. “Over the past decade, education budgets across Sub-Saharan Africa have been growing by 7% in real terms, reflecting the commitment to get more teachers and children in classrooms. However four countries will need to significantly increase their education budgets if they’re to cover the bills and provide training to new recruits: the Central African Republic, Mali, Chad and Malawi.”
Contacts:
Kate Redman EFA Global Monitoring Report, Email: k.redman@unesco.org Phone: +33602049345
Amy Otchet UNESCO Institute for Statistics , Email: a.otchet@unesco.org Phone: +15144027836
Sue Williams Chief, Media Relations, UNESCO, Email: s.williams@unesco.org Phone: +33145681706
Related Links
Wanted: Trained teachers to ensure every child’s right to primary education - The full paper.
Infographics on Education
Advocacy Toolkit for Teachers
eATLAS for Teachers - Interactive maps
The Global Partnership for Education
Forum : 5 October, World Teachers' Day.
On World Teachers' Day, tell the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, that you support quality education for all, a post-2015 development goal on education, and the global campaign to get all children into school.
Events : 06 October 2014 to 07 October 2014, Paris, France.
List of all Prizes and Celebrations
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