The United
Nations marked World Teachers’ Day yesterday with top officials calling on
governments to make up a projected deficit of over 10 million teachers
by 2015 and stressing the crucial role teachers play in recovery from
natural disasters and conflict.“Without sufficient numbers of
well-trained and professionally motivated teachers, we risk falling
short of the promise made 10 years ago at the World Education Forum to
the world’s children and youth [of education for all by 2015], because
teachers are at the heart of the education system,” the heads of four
major UN agencies said.
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Irina Bokova, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Anthony Lake and International Labour Organizations (ILO) Director-General Juan Somavia issued the joint statement.
“Low status, low salary and poor working conditions infringe on the
rights of teachers whilst discouraging talented young people from
joining and remaining in the teaching profession. The situation must be
redressed at a time when the world needs an estimated 10.3 million new
teachers to reach internationally-agreed education targets by 2015,”
they added.
They stressed that teachers offer continuity and reassurance, both
during and after natural disasters and other crises, by giving hope for
the future and providing structure and a sense of normalcy and
much-needed psycho-social support to ease the trauma of youngsters who
have witnessed extreme violence or lived through destruction of their
homes and the loss of family members, a major focus of the Day’s main celebration at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
This year’s theme is ‘Recovery begins with teachers,’ and in a
discussion teachers from Haiti, Israel, Lesotho, Mali, Laos and France
shared their experiences in dealing with crisis. A presentation of the
latest statistics on the global teacher shortage and the opening of a
photo exhibition on teachers who work in particularly daunting
conditions also marked the Day.
In addition to teachers’ testimonies about supporting recovery from
natural disasters, HIV/AIDS, conflict and violence, other presentations
covered such topics as promoting excellence in teaching and
accelerating teacher development through new technologies.
In their messages the UN agency chiefs returned repeatedly to the need
to honour teachers for their critical role in society. “We appeal to
governments, communities, national and international institutions
worldwide to renew their commitment towards teachers, particularly in
the poorest countries and those affected by conflict or disasters,”
they declared.
“Recovery begins with teachers. We can best honour teachers by giving
them decent working conditions to fulfil their mission of preparing the
younger generation to become responsible citizens, equipped with the
knowledge and skills to shape a sustainable future,” they concluded.
UN
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