World Teachers' Day is being observed today, October 5 in Bangladesh and many countries in all the continents, with the theme 'The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage'. The theme hints at the reality that the world faces-- an unprecedented global teacher shortage followed by continuous decline in their service conditions and status. In this backdrop, World Teachers' Day 2023 aims to emphasise the importance of a dignified and valued teaching profession as a top global agenda. The various activities of the Day will highlight teachers' crucial role, analyse their challenges, and showcase inspiring practices to attract, retain and motivate teachers and educators. It will also examine in depth the ways in which education systems, societies, communities, and families recognise, appreciate, and actively support the teachers. Observance of the Day will focus on the meaningfulness of being a teacher and the urgency of attracting and retaining qualified teachers in the profession with the emphasis on the dual imperative of attracting the youth to teaching programmes and the obligations to make the profession attractive for those in service in order to curb teacher attrition and frustration.
INITIATIVES OF CO-CONVENORS: UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and Education International, the four co-convening organisations of World Teachers' Day will encourage decision-makers, as well as development and aid agencies, and representatives of civil society, the teaching profession, youth and the private sector, to take action to make the teaching profession more attractive through local, national and regional policies and programmes. Advocacy events----meetings, exhibitions, campaigns, awards will be organised to highlight the pathways that can be followed to ensure the teachers we need for the education that we want.
WIDER CONTEXT: The 2023 World Teachers' Day is framed within the wider context of a new social contract and the transformation of education which will be informed through and with the work of the United Nations Secretary General's High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession and the follow-up to Transforming Education Summit. It will highlight recommendations coming out of both initiatives and will greatly benefit from the comprehensive analysis and valuable data gathered in preparation of the Global Report on Teachers to be published by UNESCO and the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) at the end of 2023.
The 18-member High-Level-Panel (HLP) on the Teaching profession was formed as an outcome of the 2022 Transforming Education Summit. More than 100 countries submitted Statements of National Commitment on subjects including elevating the teaching profession, financing education, and digital learning. The Panel will produce a set of recommendations towards ensuring that every learner has a professionally trained, qualified, and well-supported teacher who can flourish in a transformed education system. The recommendations, expected to be a significant contributor to the UN's Summit of the Future in 2024, are due to be finalised by the end of 2023..
HUMANITY OF TEACHERS AND TEACHING PROFESSION: Prof. Dr. Carol Campbell, Visiting Professor of Cardiff Metropolitan University and winner of Canadian Teachers' Federation Public Education Advocacy Award 2020, and Kelsey Lewis working internationally and in Canada as a teacher, curriculum director, workshop leader consultant and principal, have jointly proposed 5 imperatives under the caption: 'Valuing the humanity of teachers and the teaching profession' linking education with humanity. To quote few lines from them: Education involves the development of humanity. This requires valuing the humanity of teachers as people and professionals, and the importance of their complex work to teach learners and equip them to thrive in their lives. Definitions of humanity include "understanding and kindness towards other people," and "the qualities and characteristics of people." Humanity includes teachers' wellbeing, which encompasses physical, mental, and emotional health, and is interrelated with the status of the teaching profession and the nature of teachers' work, and working conditions.
Worryingly, evidence indicates deteriorating teacher wellbeing globally with widespread concerns about stressful working conditions, workload, and work intensification and a decline in teachers' feeling of being valued and respected. The impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, including school closures and shift to online teaching further challenged teachers' work and wellbeing.
Within this global concern, there are also variations. Who teachers are and where they work can affect their wellbeing. Teachers from marginalised groups such as women, the LGBTI+ community, people with disabilities, and those living in underprivileged contexts are often most impacted by structures of inequity and discrimination that impact wellbeing ( Day, 2008; Kraft &Papay, 2014; Singh, 2021).
Neglecting the humanity and wellbeing of teachers has negative consequences for teachers, learners, schools, and education systems ( UNESCO, 2020). For teachers, exhaustion, stress, and burnout can result in reduced motivation, changes in performance, illness, and leaving the profession. Crucially, teacher wellbeing also affects students' learning, wellbeing, and achievement ( OECD, 2021). The consequences are too pervasive to ignore. Urgent attention is needed.''
The 5 Imperatives proposed by Prof. Dr. Carol Campbell and Kelsey Lewis include : 1. Improving the status, respect for, working conditions and work life balance for the teaching profession is vital. 2. Developing human-centred educational improvement requires teacher agency and leadership. 3. Prioritising the joy of teaching and love of learning by supporting teachers' enthusiasm and commitment. 4. Supporting teachers' work and wellbeing through continuing professional learning and collaboration. 5. Attending to teacher wellbeing and preventing teacher illbeing are urgent.
In Conclusion, they proposed 4 recommendations : 1. Teachers' working conditions require investment and attention. 2. A clear commitment to reasonable working hours and workload that can be managed within those working hours requires leadership globally. 3. Attention and support for both individual wellbeing and removal of systemic reasons for professional illbeing. 4.There is a need to bring together education, health and wellbeing experts, policymakers, and researchers to engage in a sustained high-profile campaign to end teacher illbeing with evidence of effective approaches required.
BANGLADESH CONTEXT: More than a million teachers in Bangladesh from pre-primary to higher education are expected to rise to the occasion in line with the international teaching community in the face of the existing impediments in teaching profession. Since vision and goals of education are no more limited to national boundaries for more than last two decades, there are reasons to see new hopes and possibilities in their eyes and pathways. They are supposed to draw new inspiration in the face of long existing disparity, discrimination and undue interference in performing normal professional duty as well as moving towards attaining required efficiency to teach and administer in accordance with the pace of progress world over.
In Bangladesh, World Teachers' Day is celebrated by the National Observance Committee for more than a decade since 2011. This year the Ministry of Education has instructed all educational institutions from secondary to higher level, to organise meeting and rally to pay respect to teachers and in favour of improvement of education. Meanwhile the Coalition Towards Ending Physical and Humiliating Punishment (PHP) of Children, with assistance from Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), has organised a view exchange meeting to highlight teachers and role of teachers to end PHP in schools and to seek co-operation from parents in this endeavour. Teachers organisations are also expected to draw their own programmes befitting of the Day.
More than a million teachers in Bangladesh will share the feelings of teachers elsewhere in thew world on this historic day and aspire for a better future with due status and dignity. The theme of the Day along with its wider context this year will enhance their self-esteem and they will feel reassured that in a globalised world, they are not alone.
Prof. Quazi Faruque Ahmed is
convener, Coalition Towards Ending PHP Against Children, and member, Education Watch Bangladesh. [email protected]
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