THANK YOU TEACHERS

Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions. Yet, we underappreciate the critical role teachers play in our society.

There are nearly 30,000 teachers in Mongolia, who teach in 778 schools. The average student-teacher ratio is 19 students per teacher, but teachers in some public schools have to educate around 30 to 40 students on multiple shifts. The fact that wages of teachers hadn’t been raised for many years until last month shows that their efforts to raising future generations had been taken for granted by both the government and public.

As a result of their year-long endeavor, teachers finally managed to get a 20 percent wage raise approval in September 2018. This was much lower than their initial demand, but they complied as they could no longer drag their strike while making their students suffer. Teachers change the lives of millions of children every day, and their impact extends far beyond the boundaries of the classroom. Therefore, it’s time to make teachers valued and motivate them to become better educators, but without them having to force their way through. And now is the perfect time to show a little gratitude as today, October 5, is World Teacher’s Day.

...Teachers change the lives of millions of children every day, and their impact extends far beyond the boundaries of the classroom...

Observing World Teacher’s Day, Mongolia designates the first week of October as Teacher Appreciation Week – a special time to honor men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating children. Teachers deserve a lot of appreciation because they not only spend almost eight hours a day with children but also make a positive impact in their lives. Teachers provide so much to students —inspiration, motivation and, ultimately, their futures. The least we can do is say, “Thank you”.

Teachers don’t ask for much. L.Damdinsuren who has been working in the education sector for 36 years noted that her students were her prized possessions that make her proud of being a teacher and that seeing them lead a successful and happy life makes her feel fulfilled. She was sure that most teachers feel the same.

“Happy World Teacher’s Day to all teachers in Mongolia. I started working as a teacher in Tes soum of Uvs Province in 1972. I’ve been working in the education sector for 36 years now. My students give me reason to live (and continue teaching). I’d like to use this opportunity to send greetings to all of my students,” she said.

Even so, Mongolia has been organizing a general celebration for teachers for 52 years to recognize their value to our lives. This year’s event was dedicated to around 4,500 teachers who work at vocational training centers. The event took place on Monday with over 500 specialized teachers present.

At the event, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Policy, Education, Culture and Science Yo.Baatarbileg commended teachers’ contribution to training, educating and nurturing wealth creators and encouraged them to continue to support the national development through their role as educators of the society.

At a celebratory event for senior teachers held earlier this week, Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports Ts.Tsogzolmaa said, “The society wants and expects to bring positive and good change in all of our lives. Teachers play the main role in bringing this change. The skills of teachers determine what kind of a student a child turns into and then the kind of individual they grow up to become. In short, a good teacher will raise a good student. The ministry will partner with the Senior Teachers’ Association to organize events aimed to improve the skills of young teachers. Experience isn’t attained in just a day. Passing on experience and knowledge acquired through a lifetime of teaching to younger generations is a key goal for the education sector.”

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports also plans to premier a new film “Teacher” on World Teacher’s Day to show challenges and struggles of being a Mongolian teacher and at the same time, raise the public appreciation of teachers.

The role, responsibilities and expectations of Mongolian teachers have been elevated, especially now that they will be receiving a higher wage, more and more people will question their competency and set higher standards for them. In spite of this, we need to take into account that teachers today have limited resources, do not receive adequate training, teach within the walls of outdated and crowded classrooms, and are still underpaid for the amount of work they perform.

Showing appreciation to teachers and raising their value in society will become a trigger for evolving them. It will motivate them to become better educators, call on for increased public and private support for professional development of teachers, and ultimately, develop our nation’s greatest assets.

If you can think of a teacher who has helped you get through a challenging time or influenced your life in some way, I hope that you can show them your respect and gratitude in some way on World Teachers Day.

Teachers are indeed a backbone of a nation. It is only right that their contribution is recognized and celebrated on a global level.