New York (UNA-OIC) – For the education system to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, more investment is required in the well-being, training, professional development and working conditions of the world’s 71 million educators, UN agencies chiefs said on Monday, just ahead of World Teachers’ Day.
“Today we celebrate the exceptional dedication and courage of all teachers, their capacity to adapt and to innovate under very challenging and uncertain conditions,” said UNESCO head Audrey Azoulay, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) chief Henrietta Fore, top International Labor Organization (ILO) official Guy Ryder, and Education International’s leader David Edwards, in a joint statement.
World Teachers’ Day, celebrated annually on 5 October, provides an important opportunity to call on governments and the international community to spotlight teachers and their challenges, and share effective and promising policy responses.
“They are the principal actors of the global education recovery efforts and are key in accelerating progress towards inclusive and equitable quality education for every learner, in every circumstance,” the statement continued.
From using technology creatively to providing socio-emotional support to their students, and reaching those most at risk of falling behind, teachers have been at the heart of the educational response to the COVID-19 crisis.
“Now is the time to recognize the exceptional role teachers play and to empower them with the training, professional development, support and working conditions they need to deploy their talent,” the top officials argued.
“Education recovery will be successful if it is conducted hand-in-hand with teachers, giving them voice and space to participate in decision-making,” they said.
