World Teachers’ Day 2025; October 5th.

FORUM:“Recasting teaching as a collaborative profession.” World Teachers’ Day 2025. Teachers play vital roles in education systems, driving learning, inclusion, and innovation in schools and societies. Yet many work without collaborative structures to support their pedagogy, agency, professionalism or well-being. In many systems, the profession remains marked by isolation, fragmented structures and limited opportunities to build networks with peers, mentors and school leaders, affecting both educational quality and teacher retention. This year celebrations will centre on the theme “Recasting teaching as a collaborative profession,” highlighting the transformative potential of collaboration for teachers, schools and education systems. Reframing teaching as inherently collaborative – supported by policies, practices, and environments that value mutual support, shared expertise, and joint responsibility – is essential to strengthen teaching, learning, and teachers’ professional fulfilment. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #Teachers, #WorldTeachersDay, #5October, #valuingteachervoices, #teaching, #teachingasacollaborativeprofession, #teachthem.

EVENTS: 2025 celebrations.

A global celebration will take place in the framework of the Pan-African Conference on Teacher Education (PACTED) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The programme will open with statements from high-level representatives of the co-convening partners – UNESCO, UNICEF, the International Labour Organization, and Education International – followed by a ministerial panel, moderated by the African Union, on the topic “From isolation to collective strength: Reenvisioning the teaching profession through the lens of collaboration.”Get more information on the Global event which was Organized on 3 October during the Pan-African Conference on Teacher Education in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Other celebrations will take place around the world to support teachers.

Joint Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General, International Labour Organization, Ms Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF, Mr David Edwards, General Secretary, Education International on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day 2025.


Teachers are the backbone of quality education: they drive learning and inclusion in schools, and in doing so, strengthen the very social fabric of our societies. Yet, the profession is currently facing an unprecedented crisis – one requiring political mobilization at the highest level, as recently emphasized at the World Summit on Teachers, organized by UNESCO and the Government of Chile. The Global Report on Teachers warns that an additional 44 million teachers are needed worldwide if we are to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030. In just seven years, the number of teachers leaving the profession has doubled – further exacerbating the widespread shortage. This crisis is compounded by teachers’ working conditions. Teachers all too often experience professional isolation, with few opportunities for continued development, peer learning and the cooperation needed to ensure effective teaching practices. Reversing current trends in teacher attrition and recruitment demands not only increased investment, but also policies that foster collaborative working environments throughout teachers’ careers. This year’s World Teachers’ Day, held under the theme ‘Recasting teaching as a collaborative profession’, reminds us of the fundamentally collective and relational nature of education. It calls for teacher collaboration – in the classroom, in the digital sphere and in decision-making spaces – in order to strengthen motivation and resilience within this essential profession, and enhance the quality of education for millions of students. This mindset shift involves three key components. Firstly, rooting the profession in collaboration starts from the earliest days of a teacher’s career. Shaping a professional identity grounded in cooperation, rather than isolation, requires peer learning, co-teaching and mentoring to be placed at the heart of their initial and continued training. This is why UNESCO has supported the training of over 1.4 million teachers worldwide since 2018, providing them with opportunities to strengthen their skills alongside experts and peers. Secondly, while no technology can ever replace the humanity of teachers, collaborative digital tools are bringing opportunities for educators to work together across distances and disciplines like never before. Teachers must understand how to leverage technology to effectively enhance connection, dialogue and cooperation, with peers and students alike. Thirdly, we must also strengthen collaboration in educational decision-making, by recognizing the critical role of teachers when it comes to policy design and school leadership. Through social dialogue, teachers can meaningfully contribute to shaping reforms that reflect classroom realities. Meanwhile, their involvement in decision-making – from the policy to the school level – can improve school climate, trust and well-being for both staff and students. On this World Teachers’ Day, UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and Education International call on governments, partners and the international community to make a collective commitment to ensuring that collaboration is recognized as a norm within the teaching profession – because it is only through effective cooperation at all levels that we can build truly inclusive, equitable and resilient education systems worldwide.

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PUBLICATIONS: 2025 Factsheet.

PRESS RELEASES:World Teachers’ Day 2025: Collaboration is key to making teachers thrive.

COMMUNICATION MATERIALS: Get the poster in Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish and Social media pack!