Celebrating World Teachers Day

                Last week on October 5^th, the world celebrated World Teachers Day.  World Teachers Day was established in 1994 to celebrate the essential role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels.  The day also commemorates the United Nations formation of United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)[i].

                While this day went practically un-noticed here in the US, around the world teachers were celebrated.  In the Philippines, the Aquino government publically acknowledged the “thousands of men and women who have made it their life’s work to educate, our children, youth and adults[ii].”  In Taiwan, teachers received congratulations and small gifts from students and parents. 

                World Teachers Day is a reminder of the crucial role teachers’ play in the educational lives of children and future prosperity of nations.  The day is also a reminder of the ongoing work that needs to be done to ensure children in the US and around the world are provided with a quality education that affords them the opportunity to become productive members of society.  In the US, we are familiar with the areas of need in our educational system.  However, we are less familiar with the areas of need in educational systems in other nations, especially in developing nations. 

                According to a UNESCO report, the world is in need of 6.1 million teachers by 2015.  The majority of those teachers, 2 million are needed in sub-Saharan Africa, 243,000 teachers are needed in Arab States, 292,000 teachers are needed in South and West Asia, and 155,000 are needed in North American and Western Europe[iii]. 

The UNESCO report also called for more gender equality in the teaching profession.  Being concerned that 62 percent of the worlds teachers are women, with 90 percent being at the primary/elementary school level, the report calls for policies and strategies that attract more males to the field of teaching.  The report argues that attracting more males would create gender-equal learning environments that would benefit children and the teaching profession[iv].

                World Teachers Day is a reminder of how appreciative we should be of the people who dedicate their lives to the education of children and the work that needs to be done to ensure children around the world have highly skilled teachers in the classroom. 

In this world-wide economic recession and high unemployment, the consequences of those who receive a quality education and those who do not receive a quality education will dramatically impact their economic opportunities and quality of life.  Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, but it is producing a wider chasm based on the quality of education an individual receives.  Therefore, teacher quality should become a national priority

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[i] www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2011/10/05/palace-joins-celebration-world-teac...

[ii] ibid

[iii] www.un.org/apps/news

[iv] ibid