A day to recognise the important role teachers play

Today is World Teachers Day. The theme for 2020 is: ‘Teachers: leading in crisis, reimagining the future’. With learning being an essential part of life and human development, teachers play an immensely valuable role in society.

It’s a day that we should recognise the important role that teachers play, particularly during this COVID-19 crisis.

A joint statement by UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and Education International says that the pandemic has significantly added to the challenges faced by already over-extended education systems throughout the world. It adds that it is no exaggeration to say that the world is at a crossroads and now more than ever, we must work with teachers to protect the right to education and guide it to the unfolding landscape brought about by COVID-19.

“The issue of teacher leadership in relation to crisis response, is not just timely, but critical in terms of the contributions teachers have made to provide remote learning, support vulnerable populations, reopen schools and ensure that learning gaps have been mitigated.”

From the Fijian teachers’ perspective outstanding issues that have not been resolved by the Ministry of Education should be sorted out as soon as possible, particularly regarding the on-going reforms.

This would allow the teachers to perform to their very best to meet the expectation of the public and deliver the desired education outcomes.

COVID-19 restrictions have made it imperative that we develop distant learning. Online learning is transforming education delivery in many countries still recording community transmission and deaths. We tried it during our lockdowns and now students are back in classrooms. It is only accessible if you have the right equipment or tools and internet connections. Teaching via television was also tried and it would be interesting to find out how it worked. The impact of the disruption caused by school closure can never be underestimated. A clearer picture on the collateral damage will be ascertained when the end of year assessment is made.

Teachers who have gone out of their way to hold remedial classes to make up for the lost time and setback are commended. But that is only half the battle. The other half is the amount of work and sacrifice that students and their parents or their caregivers are prepared to put in to catch up with the curriculum.

It is unfair and unreasonable to hold teachers to account with high expectation when the students and their parents or caregivers fail to do their part. It’s a partnership not a one-way traffic where we send our children to school and expect teachers to perform a miracle.

Let’s help and support our teachers to teach, mentor, counsel and prepare our students for higher learning.