5th October is the World Teachers’ Day
5th October is the World Teachers’ Day
All of us learn from our teachers. Teachers who are qualified and committed can shape our future in a positive way. We know that they play vital roles in education systems, driving learning, inclusion, and innovation in schools and societies. There are differences when it comes to a teacher in a government school or in a private school or institutions .There are many teachers who are innovative but yet many work without collaborative structures to support their pedagogy, agency, professionalism or well-being.
The scopes are limited in some systems as many cannot take decisions and in that case the profession remains marked by isolation, fragmented structures and limited opportunities to build networks with peers, mentors and school leaders, affecting both educational quality and teacher retention.
World Teachers’ Day (WTD) is held annually on 5 October to celebrate all teachers around the globe. It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 International Labour Organisation /United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions.
The Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel was adopted in 1997 to complement the 1966 Recommendation by covering teaching personnel in higher education. World Teachers’ Day has been celebrated since 1994. This year the celebrations will centre on the theme “Recasting teaching as a collaborative profession,” highlighting the transformative potential of collaboration for teachers, schools and education systems. The day is co-convened in partnership with the ILO, UNICEF and Education International (EI).
“On this World Teachers’ Day, UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and Education International call on governments, partners and the international community to make a collective commitment to ensuring that collaboration is recognized as a norm within the teaching profession – because it is only through effective cooperation at all levels that we can build truly inclusive, equitable and resilient education systems worldwide” , this was stated in joint statement issued by Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of ILO, Ms Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF, Mr David Edwards, General Secretary, EI .
The International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, also known as the Teacher Task Force (TTF), is a unique partnership created in 2008 to advocate for teachers and the teaching profession around the world. It is dedicated to raising awareness, expanding knowledge and supporting countries towards achieving target 4.c of Sustainable Development Goals 4.
Teachers who are well-trained, supported and valued are essential to ensuring quality education for all and meeting the education targets of the 2030 Agenda. The challenge is that there is a deficit of 44 million teachers and many of those who are at work, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, lack basic qualifications and training to keep pace with changes in education. UNESCO works with countries to increase the supply of qualified, motivated teachers by improving policies relating to them and supporting quality training which meets learners’ needs. Special focus is placed on Africa, inclusion, gender sensitivity and digital technologies.
The challenge is everywhere and it can be seen in our region also as due to the geographical locations and terrains many areas do not get qualified teachers. We could see that teachers who are appointed in government schools prefer locations which are near to their home locations. Remote areas schools and campuses do not get qualified and committed teachers resulting in poor results amongst students.
Whenever I ask students about their aim in life or dream profession then many say that they want to be a teacher in government schools instead of private institutions. One may have the dream but at the same time all those who want to be a teacher must develop a positive attitude so that they can teach passionately and all those who are teaching at present must be prepared to adapt with the changes because every learner needs not only qualified but also passionate teachers who love teaching.
(With direct inputs from UN publication and feedback may be sent to bkranjan@gmail.com)
Ranjan K Baruah
Guwahati