“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.“ - Incheon Declaration, World Education Forum 2015

Teachers are the key to sustainability and national capacity in achieving learning and creating societies based on knowledge, values and ethics. The World Teachers’ Day celebrates and highlights the contribution of teachers towards the education and development of children around the world.

The World Teacher’s Day (WTD) will take place on 5th October 2015 under the theme “Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies”. The celebration of this year’s WTD comes just after the adoption of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) in September in New York. This is a unique opportunity to recall the key role that teachers should play in the new education agenda. However, they continue to face challenges brought about by staff shortages, poor training and low status. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics estimates that to achieve the goal of universal primary education by 2020 countries will need to recruit a total of 12.6 million primary teachers.

This year’s WTD will address the challenge of mobilizing a roadmap for teachers towards 2030. A considerable intensification of efforts is needed to provide sufficiently qualified, motivated and supported teachers by the end of 2030. It is still a challenge for education systems around the world to pay adequate attention to factors affecting teacher effectiveness, such as policies on training, recruitment, deployment, management, assessment and professional development.

Follow us on:

WTD website

Twitter: # WorldTeachersDay

For Press Release

General Contact:

Saba Bokhari, Education Programme Specialist: +254 (0)786 595 034 S.Bokhari(at)unesco.org

Masakazu Shibata, Public Information Officer: +254 (0) 71 015 8249 m.shibata(at)unesco.org

Regional Celebrations in Eastern Africa

Uganda: A national celebration is being organized on October 5 consisting of an online panel discussion, an announcement of the collaboration between UNESCO CFIT and the Varkey Foundation and an exhibition of publications related to teachers, sustainable development. The Uganda National Commission for UNESCO (UNATCOM), Varkey Foundation, teachers and teacher educators from Shimoni Core PTC, Nakawa VTI, Kyambogo University, and TTIs linked with Varkey Foundation will participate.

Contact:

Charles Obiero: c.obiero(at)unesco.org

Somalia:

South-Central: A one-day national celebration is being organised on October 5 at Mohamud mire primary school in Mogadishu. Drama and role play on importance of teacher and challenges will be organized. A football match will be organized between two teams and the winning team will be awarded a prize. MOE representatives, representatives from UN organizations such as UNICEF, UNDP, national and international NGOs working on education and literacy, representative from private sector who are working on education, senior officials from Somalia civil society and other Government ministry, teachers’ unions and community figures will join the celebration.

Contact:

Aburas Ali Farah: aa.farah(at)unesco.org

Lemma Demissew: d.lemma(at)unesco.org

Puntland：A national celebration is being organised on October 5 in Garowe by UNESCO, Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) and Garowe Teachers Training College. A panel discussion will be held on the importance of teachers for quality education and various students’ activities will also be presented.

Contact:

Mohamed Hashi: ma.hashi(at)unesco.org

Lemma Demissew: d.lemma(at)unesco.org

Somaliland: A national celebration is being organised on October 5 in Hargeisa University by UNESCO and MEHS. In the morning, there will be a public march from Ministry of Education to the venue (Hargeisa University) with national Band followed by celebration conference. The Celebration conference in the morning will emphasize the importance of teaching and learning, teacher development, recruitment drives for the teaching profession among university students. There will be also night event at Hargeisa Cultural Center with a panel discussion on the role of teachers in the society and how they can be motived to deliver quality education to our children. Vice President of Somaliland, Minister of MoE, Vice Minister, State Ministers and DGs, MOEHS directors and officers, Minister of Environment, Minister of Finance, Minister of Social Affairs, Minister of Religion, Minister of Information, and Representatives from UN organizations, Civil Society groups, private sector, scholars, students and parents will come for the celebration.

Contact:

Ahmed Abokor: a.abokor(at)unesco.org

Lemma Demissew: d.lemma(at)unesco.org