World Teachers Day

TODAY we celebrate the gift of teachers, the basic channels of knowledge without whom, there would be no professionals in other disciplines.

World Teachers Day (WTD), also known as International Teachers Day, has been observed on October 5 by over 100 countries worldwide since 1994. The day commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the 1996 International Labor Organization (ILO)-United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Recommendations concerning the Status of Teachers.

WTD 2018 theme is “The Right to Education Means the Right to a Qualified Teacher.” It marks the 70th anniversary of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights “that recognizes education as a key fundamental right and establishes an entitlement to free compulsory education, and ensuring inclusive and equitable access to all children.”

The continuing challenge worldwide is the shortage of teachers, according to UNESCO. Despite overall increase in access to education, around 264 million children and youth are still out of school and an estimated 617 million children and adolescents have not mastered basic literacy and numeracy. The world needs 69 million new teachers to reach the 2030 Education Goals of universal primary and secondary education. This teacher gap is more pronounced among vulnerable populations, such as girls, children with disabilities, refugee and migrant children, and poor children living in rural or remote areas.

The joint message from UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, and Education International General Secretary David Edwards on the occasion of World Teachers Day noted the shortage of qualified and experienced teachers in many places depriving children of the right to education. The poorest, most marginalized children, including those living in areas affected by conflict, are the most at risk of either being out of school or attending school, but learning very little.

Thus, they reaffirm their commitment to increasing the global supply of qualified teachers and urge all governments and the international community to join them in this endeavor to enable children and young people, regardless of their circumstances, secure their right to education and a better future.