FORUM: “Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our futures”. World Teachers’ Day 2026. The year 2026 will mark the 60th anniversary of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. We will celebrate progress in recognizing teachers’ vital role, we will highlight the challenges the profession continues to face, and we will call on society and policymakers to protect, promote and elevate its status. Especially the case today, as the world needs 50 million more teachers to achieve SDG 4 by 2030. Sixty years after the adoption of the Recommendation, World Teachers’ Day 2026 provides an
opportunity to ask how societies envision the purposes of education today, the role of teachers in
achieving them, and the obstacles to realising these purposes and enabling teachers to fulfil their role.
At a time when the Recommendation is being revised, World Teachers’ Day will examine how effective
policies are in elevating the status of teachers; whether these policies are negotiated through social
dialogue and collective bargaining with teachers and their representatives; and the quality and
availability of data and evidence used to ascertain teachers’ “status” and determine policy actions.
Building on the call of the first World Summit on Teachers and its outcome document, the Santiago
Consensus, adopted in August 2025, World Teachers’ Day 2026 will also celebrate teachers’ work and the progress enabled by the Recommendation, while considering
its limitations, including challenges in monitoring and implementation. Follow the conversations with the hashtags:#Teachers, #WorldTeachersDay, #5October, #valuingteachervoices, #teaching, #teachingasacollaborativeprofession, #teachthem.
EVENTS: On October 5th at UNESCO HQ, from 8:00 to 06:30 pm GMT will be held the the World teacher's day 2026 and the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize. Co-convened by UNESCO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNICEF and Education International, the celebration will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and will be opened by UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany. It will bring together teachers, ministers of education, policymakers, academics, young people, teacher organizations, education partners and institutions from around the world.
(i) celebrate World Teachers’ Day, drawing the
attention of decision-makers and the international community to the chosen theme by sharing data,
analyses and knowledge about the facts and challenges related to teacher status around the world, as
well as promising strategies for addressing these challenges;
(ii) advocate for changes in teacher status
by calling on relevant actors to take action to address the challenges facing the profession;
The programme will feature high-level discussions on protecting and advancing the teaching profession, opportunities for teachers and members of the public to interact and share their perspectives, and a performance by a teachers’ choir. The day will also include the award ceremony for the ninth edition of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development. Read the concept note, the agenda programme and Register to participate!
Provisional programme
Time (UTC+2) Session
08:30 – 09:10 Welcome coffee
World Teachers’ Day ceremony
09:10 – 09:50 Welcome message and musical interlude
Opening remarks by the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Khaled El-Enany
Interactive activity with the audience
Keynote by Prof Gert Biesta, Professor of Education, University of Melbourne, and Adjunct
Professor, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, on the 60th anniversary of the
ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (1966)
09:50 – 10:45 Panel discussion with the co-conveners of World Teachers’ Day
- Mr Qun Chen, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO
- Ms Vera Paquete-Perdigão, Director of Labour Governance & Sectoral Policies
Department, ILO
- Ms Brenda Haiplik, Global Lead Teacher Development and Workforce, UNICEF
- Mr David Edwards, General Secretary, Education International
Musical interlude.
- UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development award ceremony-
10:45 – 12:30 Opening remarks by UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education, Mr Qun Chen
Presentation of the 10 finalists’ teacher development programmes
- Recognition of the International Jury
- Video celebrating the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize
- Thematic discussions with the 10 Prize finalists
Remarks by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum of the United
Arab Emirates
Announcement of the three laureates.
15:00 – 17:00 Rethinking and elevating the status of teachers: Thematic conversation with Ministers of
Education, teachers and international experts
17:00 – 17:30 Visit to the exhibition of finalists’ projects
17:30 – 19:00 Closing reception of World Teachers’ Day 2026
The international event will include two key moments: (1) a morning session featuring the official
World Teachers’ Day commemoration and the award ceremony for the 9th edition of the UNESCO Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development, including a discussion with the 10 finalists on their innovative
approaches and projects; and (2) an afternoon session featuring a high-level discussion with Ministers
of Education and international experts on policy solutions to elevate the status of teachers and support
the transformation of the teaching profession.
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 Read the concept note and Register to participate!
Other celebrations will take place around the world to support teachers.
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.
FORUM: “Valuing teacher voices: Towards a new social contract for education.” World Teachers’ Day 2024. Across the globe, in various high- and low-income countries alike, the value conferred on the teaching profession is commonly perceived to be low and even in decline. UNESCO and the International Teacher Task Force’s recently published Global Report on Teachers (2024) rang the alarm on a global shortage of teachers and massive growth in teacher attrition rates. These findings are somewhat unsurprising given the breath and multidimensionality of the challenges facing the profession. Among other factors, poor working conditions, uncompetitive remuneration, and heavy workloads deter teachers from entering or staying in the profession. Beyond the material conditions of teaching, there are also symbolic factors adding to the plight of teachers such as a lack of social recognition, low professional autonomy, and little influence in decision-making. Ignoring the voice of teachers has negative effects on both teacher status and motivation, and on the effectiveness of teacher programmes and overall education policy. Recent crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, that disrupted education and caused schools to close confirmed that, if given the space and autonomy necessary, teachers can actually make educational decisions and even develop innovations that ensure learning and student wellbeing. Towards a new social contract for education Teachers carry out research, adapt pedagogies, prioritize curricular content, assess progress and contextualize, personalize education in the classroom, and engage in decision-making in their classrooms. Yet, despite the central role of teachers and the potential of their participation in the improvement of education, few countries engage in genuine teacher consultations and social dialogue processes with social partners in significant ways. The ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (1966) states that there should be close cooperation between governments, teacher organizations, cultural, learning and research institutions to define education policy and its precise objectives. For instance, evidence shows that high unionization levels are associated with positive outcomes across multiple indicators of economic, personal, and democratic well-being, as well as for teacher professionalization and policy advocacy. For this to happen, mechanisms for dialogue and teacher participation are needed. Allowing teachers' voices to be heard requires, among other things, developing a culture of trust and collaboration and fostering autonomy and academic freedom, a culture where teachers are respected and valued both inside and outside the classroom. As stated in the Report of the International Commission on the Futures of Education, for the transformation of education teachers must be at the centre, and their profession revalued and reimagined as a collaborative endeavour, sparking new knowledge to bring about educational and social transformation. This requires a new social contract with teachers, whereby national governments, trade unions, development partners, civil society and teachers themselves invest in the strengthening of social dialogue structures and processes to achieve this end successfully. Social dialogue is defined as all types of negotiation, consultation or simply exchange of information between, or among, representatives of governments, employers and workers, on issues of common interest relating to economic and social policy. One of the main objectives of social dialogue is to give workers a voice in decisions affecting them, thus promoting consensus building and democratic involvement at work. In education, this implies promoting collaboration and respecting the formation of teacher organizations to protect teachers’ interests as a fundamental right, respecting their professional freedom, and encouraging the active participation of individual teachers in deciding a range of professional issues including curricula, pedagogy, student assessment and organization of education within schools. There are several approaches to build capacity in social dialogue such as the development of cooperation and collaboration frameworks; formalized processes, principles, and mechanisms designed to facilitate continuous and constructive interactions among key stakeholders in education, with the goal of addressing and resolving issues that have direct impact on the work of teachers, like remuneration and working conditions, but also in areas where their first-hand knowledge of educational communities, their dynamics, problems, needs and aspirations may illuminate education programmes, national policies and global agendas. The UN High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession (2024) has actually recommended social dialogue as a means to address recent transformations in education, including the use of technologies, the regulation of private providers, the promotion of gender equality, greening education or teaching for entry into the world of work. Strengthening social dialogue processes and structures within education systems and among teachers’ organizations positively contributes to building teachers’ sense of ownership of educational policies, which is key for their implementation. This in turn is important for the appreciation and overall status of a profession which should feel respected and entrusted with the important task of shaping present and future generations. Beyond policy, recognizing teachers’ voices and their autonomy as independent and innovative professionals is key to enhance their capabilities to drive significant educational change through collaborative and critical exploration of teaching, learning, and schooling. Teachers as researchers engage in professional development and stay updated with current research trends, applying evidence-based teaching practices. Teachers as community developers engage with parents, students and stakeholders in educational decision-making processes, enhancing the overall relevance and quality of education. Furthermore, teachers adopting a reflective voice that critically examines social, cultural, and political issues affecting their educational contexts may become advocates for equity and social justice. They challenge systemic inequalities and empower themselves and students to become agents of change, across various platforms and through diverse communication channels. Given the perceived decline in the status of the profession, a new social contract in education that advances a collaborative approach among teachers, founded on social dialogue and the values it espouses, will boost teachers' professional status thus making the profession more attractive and sustainable. In other words, a new social contract Programme in education is key towards the aspirations of the SDGs. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #InvestInTeachers, #WorldTeachersDay, #5October.
EVENTS: On October 4th, at UNESCO Headquarters conference room I. from 09:30 to 07:30 pm (Paris time, GMT+2) will be held the World Teachers' Day 2024 and UNESCO-Hamdan Award Ceremony. This year's celebrations will emphasize the pivotal role that teachers play in shaping the future of education and the urgent need to incorporate their perspectives into educational policy and decision-making processes. The day will begin with an opening ceremony led by UNESCO’s Director-General, featuring messages from the co-convening agencies: the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNICEF and Education International. This will set the stage for a series of discussions and activities centered around enhancing the role of teachers and recognizing their contributions to education. The event will include the awarding ceremony of the Eighth edition of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development and a panel discussion where teachers will share their insights and experiences. The discussions will emphasize the importance of teachers' participation in decision-making processes and the need to create a dignified and respected teaching profession. Concluding the day’s celebrations, UNESCO will host the avant-première of the film Apprendre, previously shown at the Cannes Film Festival. Interpretation will be available in French, English, Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese. Register to participate! and watch the livestream!
Agenda Programme - World Teachers' Day 2024, October 4th. Celebrations’ kick-off, UNESCO HQ, Foyer Room I. 8:45 – 9:15 Registration, coffee and networking in the Foyer of Room I Official Opening Ceremony, UNESCO HQ, Room I 9:30 – 10:00 Welcoming remarks • Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO • Oliver Liang, Head, Public and Private Services Unit, ILO • Pia Rebello Britto, Global Director of Education and Adolescent Development, UNICEF (video) • Mugwena Maluleke, President, Education International 10:00 – 10:20 Framing of the importance of teacher voices by Carlos Vargas, Chief of the Section for Teacher Development, UNESCO Keynote address: Valuing Teacher Voices: A new social contract for education, by Prof. Lis Lange, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and Chair of the Jury of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize on Teacher Development. 10:20 – 11:10 Teachers have their say Teachers have their say, on stage in the public and around the world, including the screening of the Teacher Task Force video from the #TeachersMissing global advocacy campaign. 11:10-11:20 Conclusion Closing remarks by Borhene Chakroun, Director, Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems, Education Sector, UNESCO. Awarding Ceremony of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development, Room I 11:20 – 12:30 Welcoming remarks • Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO • His Highness Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Hamdan Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences Awarding ceremony • Presentation of the Finalists by the Prize Jury members • Awarding of the three Laureates of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development and recognition of the International Jury Closing remarks and afternoon logistics Lunch, Restaurant 7th floor 12:45-14:15 High-level lunch (attendance by invitation only) Q&A Session with the UNESCO – Hamdan Prize finalists, Room IV 15:00 – 16:15 A Q&A session with the ten UNESCO–Hamdan Prize finalists sharing insights on their projects. Movie screening, Room I 16:30 – 19:00 Preview screening of Apprendre • Welcome by Anna Ruszkiewicz, Project Officer, Section for Teacher Development, UNESCO, and presentation by the director Claire Simon and cast • Movie screening in French with English subtitles • Q&A session with the director.
Photo exhibition: To mark the World Teachers’ Day 2024, UNESCO presents an exhibition that celebrates educators from all corners of our planet, recognizing their dedication, passion, and commitment to shaping the future. Delving into a range of topics — from digital transformation and inclusion to lifelong learning and sustainable development — the exhibition offers insights into how UNESCO and its partners champion educators globally. Explore the exhibition!
PUBLICATIONS: Read the Teaching requirement policies globally and their implications for monitoring SDG 4 and the Global Report on Teachers 2024: Addressing teacher shortages and transforming the profession. Launched at the 14th Policy Dialogue Forum in Johannesburg on 26 February 2024, the Global Report on Teachers serves as a critical resource for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders dedicated to achieving SDG 4 of inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all. Rooted in a growing solidarity with teachers at the global level, aligned with the recommendations of the UN Secretary-General's High-level Panel on the Teaching Profession and the outcomes of the Transforming Education Summit, the Report seeks to translate these commitments into tangible action by offering actionable recommendations to address global teacher shortages. As we approach the 2030 Agenda deadline, the pivotal role of teachers in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 aiming to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all has become increasingly apparent. However, a global shortage of teachers is hindering access to education, with a projected deficit of 44 million teachers to achieve primary and secondary universal education by 2030. The result is overcrowded classrooms, diminished teaching quality, and limited learning opportunities, especially in underserved communities. Read the full report!
FORUM: “The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage.” World Teachers’ Day 2023. Being a teacher provides the unique opportunity to make a transformative and lasting impact on the lives of others, contributing to shaping sustainable futures and offering personal fulfilment. However, the world faces an unprecedented global teacher shortage exacerbated by a decline in their working conditions and status. With the theme "The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage", the 2023 celebrations will aim to put the importance of stopping the decline in the number of teachers and then starting to increase that number at the top of the global agenda. Through various activities, they will advocate for a dignified and valued teaching profession, analyse their challenges, and showcase inspiring practices to attract, retain and motivate teachers and educators. It will also examine the ways in which education systems, societies, communities, and families recognise, appreciate, and actively support teachers. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #InvestInTeachers, #WorldTeachersDay, #5October.
EVENTS: The organizers and participants are invited to subscribe and participate to the World Teachers Day 2023 on October 5th and October 6th, at UNESCO Headquaters from 11:00 to 17:00 (Paris time, GMT+2). Celebrations will focus on the meaningfulness of being a teacher and the urgency of attracting and retaining qualified teachers into the profession. It will insist on the dual imperative of attracting youth to teaching programmes and the imperatives to make the profession attractive for those in service in order to curb teacher attrition. From a lifelong learning perspective, the commemorations will cover the teaching profession at different level of education, learning spaces and modalities. The Agenda programme of the Online events are "Teacher education in emergencies to support attraction and well-being" and "Global pathways to an attractive teaching profession"; The 2023 World Teachers' Day is framed within the wider context of a new social contract and the transformation of education. It will be informed by the work of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession and the follow-up to the Transforming Education Summit. It will highlight recommendations coming out of both initiatives and will greatly benefit from the comprehensive analysis and valuable data gathered in preparation of the Global Report on Teachers to be published by UNESCO and the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) at the end of 2023. UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and Education International, the four co-convening organizations of World Teachers’ Day, will encourage decision-makers, (notably Ministers of Education), development cooperation and aid agencies, and representatives of civil society, the teaching profession, youth and the private sector, to take action to make the teaching profession more attractive through local, national and regional policies and programmes. Advocacy events (e.g., meetings, exhibitions, campaigns, awards) will be organized to highlight the pathways that can be followed to ensure the teachers we need for the education that we want. Below is the list of international initiatives and resources envisaged for the 2023 edition of World Teachers’ Day on the theme of imperatives to make the profession more attractive: Four events open to the public at UNESCO HQ and online
2023 World Teachers’ Day Opening Ceremony - 5 October - 2.30 - 4:30 p.m. (Paris time), Room IX or II (TBC), UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France -After opening remarks of the co-conveners of World Teachers’ Day, the event will present critical data on the appeal of the teaching profession, highlighting teacher voices on what they find attractive and challenging in the profession. Register here to attend online.
Global pathways to an attractive teaching profession - 6 October - 3 - 5 p.m. (Paris time), online event.The workshop will explore national and regional policy responses and programmes to improve the appeal of the teaching profession in response to the global shortage on teachers Register to participate!
"Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher” – Japanese Proverb.
If we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, in particular the goal of achieving equitable and quality education, we need relevant and innovative pedagogies that prepare the learners of today for the transformation needed by society in a rapidly changing world. Teachers are one of the pillars on which this transformation depends. Research has repeatedly found that teachers are the single most important school-level variable for improving student outcomes. The centrality of teachers to the future of education was reaffirmed at the United Nations Transforming Education Summit last year, culminating in the establishment of the High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession. This renewed focus on teachers is timely, as the world currently faces a severe global teacher shortage. Halfway to the Sustainable Development Goals, 44 million teachers still need to be recruited globally to meet universal primary and secondary education needs by 2030, with 15 million of those required in sub-Saharan Africa, according to newly released data from UNESCO and the Teacher Task Force. Rural, marginalized, and forcibly displaced communities often face the most chronic shortages of qualified teachers. The fundamental cause of this global shortage is the diminishing attractiveness of the teaching profession, which undermines the recruitment of new teachers and produces high levels of attrition amongst those in service, especially within the first three to five years of entering the workforce. Teachers can typically expect to be paid less than if they entered other professions requiring similar levels of qualification, whilst also finding themselves increasingly overburdened by additional responsibilities and administrative tasks. Due to these poor working conditions, teaching is often viewed negatively as a ‘profession of last resort’, and teachers are not given the recognition and status that they deserve. The report from the International Commission on the Futures of Education – Reimagining our Futures Together: A new social contract for education – recommends that the teaching profession be reimagined as a collaborative profession. To do so, it is essential to shift the way in which we perceive teachers: they should be valued as key agents in renewing the social contract for education. Teachers are lifelong learners, catalysts for change, creators and facilitators of knowledge, and mentors who engage students and support them in understanding the complex challenges and realities of our world today.
Today, on World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate teachers’ critical role and the great importance of reversing the global teacher shortage. We call upon countries to ensure that teaching is transformed everywhere into a more attractive and valorised profession where teachers are valued, trusted, and adequately supported to meet the needs of every learner. Bold actions must be taken, if we are to reverse the current decline and successfully increase teacher number.
Photo exhibition: On World Teachers’ Day, UNESCO presents an exhibition that celebrates educators from all corners of our planet, recognizing their dedication, passion, and commitment to shaping the future. Delving into a range of topics — from digital transformation and inclusion to lifelong learning and sustainable development — the exhibition offers insights into how UNESCO and its partners champion educators globally. Explore the exhibition!
EVENTS: The 2022 World Teachers' Day Celebrations will address the commitments and calls for action made at the Transforming Education Summit, in September 2022, and analyse the implications they have for teachers and teaching.
The three-day celebration at UNESCO Headquarters will include the awarding ceremony of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development, and a series of events showcasing how guaranteeing teachers' decent working conditions, access to professional development opportunities and a recognized professional status is a first step towards more resilient education systems. UNESCO is working to leverage the vital role of these primary change-agents.
A calendar of events and the communications materials will be published online and updated here regularly.Concept note and agenda
Opening of 2022 celebrations of World Teachers Day: 5 October, 10:00-11:30 (Paris time, GMT+2)
The official celebrations event on the 5th October will be opened by Ms Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director-General, followed by statements from the Heads of Co-Convening Partners - namely UNICEF, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Education International (EI).
One and a half years into the COVID-19 crisis, the 2021 World Teachers’ Day will focus on the support teachers need to fully contribute to the recovery process under the theme “Teachers at the heart of education recovery”.
A five-day series of global and regional events will showcase the effect that the pandemic has had on the teaching profession, highlight effective and promising policy responses, and aim to establish the steps that need to be taken to ensure that teaching personnel develop their full potential.
Empowering
teachers, building sustainable societies gaps in access and learning.
Every year on World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate educators and the central role they play in providing children everywhere with a quality education . Today, as the global community comes together around the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, the role teachers play has never have been more important.
The new global education goal, SDG 4 which is at the heart of the Education 2030 Agenda , calls for “ inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all ”. Realising t his goal is critical to achieving all our global development targets – for strong societies depend on well-educated cit izens and a well-trained workforce. But we can only realize this agenda if we invest in recruiting, supporting, and empowering teachers.
Quality teachers are increasingly recognized as the most important factor in children’s learning – and thus, in impro ving educational attainment levels, increasing the ability of young people to participate in society and today’s knowledge economies, boosting productivity and prosperity. Especially in poor communities and countries affected by conflict, quality teaching can literally change a child’s life – helping children overcome enormous challenges and preparing them for better lives and brighter futures. But around the world today, far too many teachers are undervalued and dis empowered. There is a mounting shortage of quality teachers, unequal distribution of trained teachers, and inadequate or non-existent national standards for the teaching profession. These are all key contributing factors to wide equity.
The poorest regions and sch ools and the earliest grades – those most in need – are often the most affected. This is a deeply troubling gap, as study after study shows that reaching children in the earliest years is critical to their development. The UNESCO Institute for Statistic s estimates that to achieve universal primary education by 2020 countries will need to recruit a total of 10.9 million primary teachers. This is a global education crisis in the making – unless we act.
Recognizing the looming crisis at the 2015 World Education Forum , held in Incheon, South Korea, leaders committed to “ensure that teachers and educators are empowered, adequately recruited, well - trained, professionally qualified, motivated and supported within well - resourced, efficient and effectively gov erned systems”. The 2015 Oslo “Education for Development”, Summit in Norway, further highlighted the imperative of addressing the shortage of qualified teachers and of investing in teacher education. Now, by committing to the Education 2030 agenda, the UN Member States agree to substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. This is an important step – and now we must live up to these commitments.
To meet the new education goal and all its targets by 2030, we must intensify efforts to provide sufficiently qualified, well deployed, motivated and supported teachers to every school, every community, and every child.
Governments should redouble efforts to engage in dialogue with teachers and their organizations and devise concrete policy measures and strategies to provide appropriate incentives, including competitive remuneration and cle ar career paths to teach in schools located in challenging environments and retain them in the profession.
Teachers should be empower ed through the provision of decent working conditions, well- resourced, safe and healthy working environments, trust, professional autonomy and academic freedom.
The ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (1966) , the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel (1997) and the ILO Policy Guidelines on the Promotion of Decent Work for Early Childhood Education Personnel (2014) are essential international standards and benchmarks for the teaching profession. On the first World Teachers' Day o f a new education agenda of global development , we appeal to the international community to value, support, and empower teachers of the world. For it is they who will educate a new generation of children who, in turn, will carry forward all our goals to build a better world for all.
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
Every year on the 5 October, the World Teachers' Day
celebrates and highlights the contribution of teachers towards the
education and development of children around the world. The celebration
of this year’s WTD comes just after the adoption of the new Sustainable
Development Goals (SGDs) in September in New York. This is a unique
opportunity to recall the key role that teachers should play in the new education agenda.In May2015 at the Education World Forum
(WEF) in Incheon, Korea, participants committed to “ensure that
teachers and educators are empowered, adequately recruited,
well-trained, professionally qualified, motivated and supported within
well-resourced, efficent and effectively governed systems”. Participants
at the parallel session “Teachers for the Future we want” recognized
furthermore that teacher quality is the most significant condition for
learning and that the empowerment of teachers must be considered as a
top priority in all education and development strategies.
How many teachers are needeed to provide every child with a primary education?
Teacher crisis in Sub Saharan Africa
Education 2030, Cannot happen without trained teachers in classrooms.
Part 1: Official ceremony
Part 2: Panel discussion: " moving ahead towards 2030 "
Part 3: Roundtable " Strong foundation for learning begins with good ECE teachers"
World Teachers Day 2015 - DRAFT AGENDA (Monday 5 october 2015) 10.00 AM - 02.00 PM.
World Teachers Day 2015 - DRAFT AGENDA (Monday 5 october 2015) 02.00 - 5.00 PM
This year’s WTD will address the challenge of mobilizing a roadmap for teachers towards 2030.
A considerable intensification of efforts is needed to provide sufficiently qualified, motivated and supported teachers by the end of 2030. It is still a challenge for education systems around the world to pay adequate attention to factors affecting teacher effectiveness, such as policies on training, recruitment, deployment, management, assessment and professional development. Listening to teachers is essential to enlighten current debate on the role of teachers in Education 2030. In this spirit, a panel discussion will be organized with the participation of teachers from different countries. Teachers will have the opportunity to share their experiences and discuss their role as teachers in the perspective of 2030.
The post 2015 UN development agenda seeks to achieve inclusive and sustainable global development. Early Childhood Education (ECE) is the foundation for building inclusive and sustainable societies. The benefits of early support are throughout life and the y extend throughout society.
Despite the increased recognition on the importance of ECE, the teaching personnel have not received the same level of appreciation. Among the entire teaching profession, ECE teachers in many parts of the world, typically receive minimum or no training, the lowest pay and benefits with no career prospects, and have low socio - economic status overall.
For ECE to become a powerful force for tackling discrimination and for bridging gaps of inequity, its teaching force must be tho roughly trained and supported to be able to deliver quality teaching and care. They must have adequate training and work conditions so that they can integrate the content and practice of a holistic early childhood care and education and ensure that our youngest children are able to transition smoothly into primary education. To address the persistent concerns on ECE teachers, a roundtable discussion is organized during the WTD 2015 to discuss ECE as a profession (status, working conditions) and innovations for teaching young children for sustainable future .
