A day for our teachers

YESTERDAY was an important day for teachers around the world. World Teachers’ Day commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the 1966 ‘UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers’.

The day has been marked on October 5 annually since 1994 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The 1966 Recommendation, it said, constitutes the main reference framework for addressing teachers’ rights and responsibilities on a global scale.

In a joint statement on the UNESCO website this week, Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO; Guy Ryder, director-general, International Labour Organization; Henrietta H. Fore, executive director, UNICEF; and David Edwards, general secretary, Education International said: “In this crisis, teachers have shown, as they have done so often, great leadership and innovation in ensuring that #LearningNeverStops, that no learner is left behind. Around the world, they have worked individually and collectively to find solutions and create new learning environments for their students to allow education to continue. Their role advising on school reopening plans and supporting students with the return to school is just as important.”

This year’s theme is Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimaging the future.

There is emphasis on celebrating the teaching profession around the world, taking stock of achievements, and drawing attention to the voices of teachers, who are at the heart of efforts to attain the global education target of leaving no one behind.

According to the website, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly added to the challenges faced by already over-extended education systems throughout the world.

The world, it stated, is at the crossroads and, now more than ever, people must work with teachers to protect the right to education and guide it into the unfolding landscape brought about by the pandemic.

It said the issue of teacher leadership in relation to crisis responses 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.

Yesterday was an opportunity for us to acknowledge the work of our teachers, and their influence on the lives of our children.

Teachers over the years have shared knowledge, set the platform for many of us to realise our potential, live our dreams, aside from the many other roles they play, from being guardians, counsellors, role models and friends.

We must never forget that they also have their own families and responsibilities to attend to daily.

We share the view that we should empower our teachers to teach in freedom so that, in turn, every child and every adult is free to learn — to the benefit of a better world.