Teachers play a vital role in shaping the future of students. They teach them to excel in professional and personal lives. However, it is often noticed that teachers don’t get their due. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1966 had made recommendations concerning the status of teachers. So, World Teachers’ Day has been celebrated since 1994 on October 5 to mark the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 recommendations.
The recommendations talk of rights and responsibilities of teachers. They also highlight standards for education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. Besides, to complement the 1966 recommendations, suggestions concerning the status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel were adopted in 1997.
The day has gained more importance after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education. World Teachers’ Day provides an opportunity to reflect on ways to overcome the challenges for the promotion of the teaching profession.
World Teachers’ Day 2020 Theme
The theme for this year’s World Teachers’ Day is “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”. On this day across the world, people celebrate the teaching profession worldwide and also draw attention to the voices of teachers.
World Teachers’ Day 2020 celebrations
Schools and colleges in various parts of the world have been closed for over six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges thrown by the novel coronavirus, teachers have gone out of their way to help students continue their learning. The outbreak of the pandemic has accentuated the importance of teachers in students’ lives.
Every year, programmes are organised to observe World Teachers’ Day. This year, due to the COVID-19 situation, events have been organised online. Throughout the week, UNESCO will be holding a series of national, regional and global events online to commemorate World Teachers’ Day. Today, UNESCO-Hamadan Prize Awards ceremony will also be taking place.
International Labour Organisation, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNESCO and Education International highlighted the importance of teachers issuing a joint message.
They said teachers globally have found solutions to help their students continue their learning process and create new learning environment. They added, “Their role advising on school reopening plans and supporting students with the return to school is just as important.”
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