World Teachers Day

CAIRO – 05 October 2017: World Teacher’s Day has been celebrated on the October 5 since 1994, yet its reason for celebration comes from the signing of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO recommendation that constitutes the main reference framework for addressing teachers’ rights and responsibilities on a global scale.

In 2015, the day brought attention to the new Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), when teacher empowerment was declared as the main target for all education and development plans.

This year, World Teachers Day slogan is “Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers.” 2017 also pays tribute to the two decades that have passed since the recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel especially the Higher-Education personal.

Loved and celebrated around; the globe this day brings together governments, multi- and bilateral organizations, NGOs, private sectors, teachers and experts in the field of teaching to talk about the future and importance of education around the world.

The celebration of World Teachers Day is a fundamental success for the 2030 education agenda. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the world needs 69 million teachers if we are to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030.

An international conference will take place at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris that will bring together teachers, trainers, policy-makers, as well as researchers and other education stakeholders to celebrate teaching, academic freedom, and what we need to do to ensure quality higher education and a sustainable future for the teaching profession.

The objectives of the conference are:

● To celebrate and highlight the contribution of teachers, from pre-primary through to higher education, to the education and development of our future citizens.

● To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1997 Recommendation concerning Higher-Education Teaching Personnel.

● To discuss the issue of quality in higher education teaching and what this means for quality teaching at all levels of education in light of achieving SDG 4 on inclusive and quality education for all.

● To showcase and discuss progress and persistent challenges in higher education such as institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and professional development of higher-education teaching personnel.