Blog by Ponke Danker, INEW Coordinator
On Saturday, 5th October, the world celebrated World Teacher’s Day, commemorating the adoption of the 1966 ILO and UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers – a historic milestone in recognising teachers’ rights, responsibilities, and needs. Today, it serves as a powerful reminder that solving the global education crisis requires placing teachers at the heart of our efforts.
2024 Theme “Valuing teacher voices: towards a new social contract for education”
World Teacher’s Day is co-convened by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), UNICEF, and Education International (EI). The 2024 theme, “Valuing Teacher Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education”, emphasises the importance of listening to teachers’ perspectives, allowing them to lead in shaping the future of education, and incorporating their insights into decision-making and policy.
On Saturday, our member organisation, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), reminded us that World Teachers’ Day is an opportunity to celebrate the teaching profession and that the theme, “Valuing Teachers’ Voices,” underscores the critical need to establish “a more robust social dialogue with teachers everywhere.”
Global Teacher Shortage is Threat to Education
This message is especially timely, as the world faces a severe teacher shortage. According to the first Global Report on Teachers (GPE), published by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 and UNESCO, by 2030, the world will be short 44 million primary and secondary school teachers.
As Moira Leydon, INEW secretary and representative of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), emphasised, “teachers are the singly most valuable resource at every level of education. Realising the right to education for all requires urgent global cooperation to address the global teacher shortage. The dual challenge is to improve the attractiveness of the teaching profession as well as increasing the numbers entering teaching and receiving adequate training for their complex work in classrooms.”
It is therefore paramount that on World Teachers Day we remind the world of the recent milestone recommendations by the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession. These recommendations offer a clear plan of action on how to support and transform the teaching profession—and they must be implemented without delay.
Tacking Climate Change Requires Investing in Teachers
This is even more crucial when considering the challenges teachers face due to climate change and conflict.
Climate shocks that threaten educational infrastructure also endanger the safety of teachers. Schools damaged by climate disasters deprive teachers of the essential resources they need for effective teaching. Yet, teachers play a central role in addressing and mitigating the effects of climate change.
The High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession recommends (Recommendation 32) that investments in training and professional development include education for sustainable development. With “access to free, quality and up-to-date teaching and learning materials”, teachers can equip students with the skills urgently needed to combat climate change and refine strategies to reduce its impact. And they challenge climate scepticism, foster confidence and resilience, and strengthen communities.
Valuing Teachers in Emergencies
In response to the growing number of crises, we must also turn our attention to teachers working in emergency settings. An event on 1st October by NORRAG and the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies highlighted the urgent need for investments in both the work and well-being of teachers in these contexts. Beyond the dangers they face while providing education to learners, speakers stressed that teachers in emergencies and refugee teachers often endure insufficient compensation, sometimes not even at a livable wage, and a lack of job security due to restrictions that prevent them from receiving normal salaries.
Refugee teachers are frequently treated as unskilled workers, with inadequate systems to recognise their qualifications, leaving them isolated, undervalued, unable to fully contribute to education systems. We must call for the removal of these systemic barriers. Additionally, it is crucial to address the mental health needs of teachers in emergencies, as their well-being is essential for the effective delivery of education during crises.
Celebrating Teachers means Investing in Teachers
During its World Teachers’ Day ceremony on Friday, 4th October, UNESCO underscored the urgent need to build a dignified and respected teaching profession.
We wholeheartedly echo this call, as well as the call of our members, that teachers’ voices must be heard, and their profession must receive the recognition and support it deserves. Celebrating teachers globally means advocating for their rights, amplifying their voices, and ensuring greater investments in their well-being, professional recognition and development.
Resources
- GPE Blog: No education without teachers: Valuing teacher voice on World Teacher’s Day | Blog | Global Partnership for Education;
- ECW Blog: Celebrating Teachers on World Teachers’ Day | Education Cannot Wait;
- Norrag Blog: NORRAG –Are Teachers Valued in Education in Emergencies Settings? What We Know and How We Address the Challenges – NORRAG -;
- UNHCR’s report Barriers to Breakthroughs Progress in Primary Education for Refugees;
- NORRAG’s Policy Insights: Refugee Teachers.