Wanted: Trained teachers to ensure every child’s right to primary education

This paper, jointly released by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and the Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR) on World Teachers’ Day, shows that there are massive and persistent teacher shortages, especially of well-trained teachers. These chronic shortages will continue to deny the fundamental right to primary education for millions of children in decades to come if concerted action is not taken. Based on a series of projections on the numbers of teachers needed and the costs to hire them, this paper also highlights the urgent need to ramp up teacher training programmes in the immediate future.