World Teachers’ Day Monday

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in his message, has said the role of teachers is important in character building of the society. As the global community observes World Teachers’ Day on October. 5, however, the focus is not just on addressing teacher shortages but improving the quality of education by boosting the qualifications of teachers. World Teacher’s Day is promoted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, up to 10.9 million primary-school teachers will need to be recruited by 2020 to meet the goal of providing universal primary education for all. Education is at the top of the agenda, thanks to the advocacy and insistence of students, teachers and the larger education community. However, at the current rate, 33 countries (34 per cent) will still not have enough teachers to achieve UPE in 2030 (explore the data with the Unesco eAtlas of Teachers). This will be done through various measures including worldwide cooperation around teacher training in developing countries, especially the least developed countries and small island developing states. Empowerment also requires being proactive in their personal and professional lives, as well as networking/sharing with colleagues.

A statement on UNESCO’s website said “It is recognized that teachers are not only a means to implementing education goals; they are the key to sustainability and national capacity in achieving learning and creating societies based on knowledge, values and ethics”.

According to UNESCO, World Teachers’ Day represents a major token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation exhibited for the essential contribution that teachers make to education and development.

“Being well-trained, dedicated, enthusiastic and interactive, our teachers are reshaping the future of our school children”.

The slogan for this World Teachers’ Day 2015 is “Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies”. “We will ensure that teachers and educators are empowered, adequately recruited, well-trained, professionally qualified, motivated and supported within well-resourced, efficient and effectively governed systems”.