World teachers’ day celebrated

It was started on 1994 by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to celebrate the 1966 joint signing of the UNESCO/ worldwide Labour Organisation (ILO) recommendation about the status of teachers.

In a separate statement on the Day, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) highlighted the key roles teachers play in empowering students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the 21st century and better connect with people and experiences beyond their borders. “My Captain!” in Dead Poets Society.

The Teachers Union President contends that there is no stronger foundation for lasting peace and sustainable development than a quality education provided by valued, supported and motivated teachers.

As World Teacher’s Day was celebrated yesterday under the theme, “Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies”, former educator Fitzmore Burns has charged the nation’s teachers to empower themselves. There are several events planned to honor teachers or those who made a special contribution to a community. This total includes the creation of 3.2 million new posts and the replacement of 22.6 million teachers expected to leave the profession. “Indeed it is appropriate to say that you have achieved much without much…”

Does your country face a teaching shortage? Afghanistan and Niger have more than quadrupled the number of educators, and “Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Congo, Mali and Oman have tripled their teaching staff over the same period”, according to the UIS. Beyond achieving the ratio, countries need qualified teachers. In South Sudan, for example, women make up only 12 percent of teachers. A person who wishes to become a teacher should have acquired a professional degree. This is the challenge for creating sustainable societies and boosting national competitiveness.

The advice is applicable in the United States too.

Data show that 33 countries still won’t have enough teachers to provide every child with a primary education by 2030 if current trends continue.