World Teachers Day 2021

World Teachers’ Day 2021 is celebrated across Australia on Friday 29 October. It’s a chance to recognise and thank over 21,000 teachers who work in our public schools.

Teachers (with support from parents and carers) have ensured education continues across the country this year, despite major challenges. It’s reinforced the significant role teachers play in the lives of children and students, their families, and communities.

Teachers play an important role in our community and we thank them for their passion and dedication to inspire children and young people.

Teachers at the heart of education recovery

source: UNESCO

Nearly two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many education systems are still facing significant disruptions. Students and teachers in close to 60 countries remain affected by full or partial school closures. But whether students are learning in person or remotely, teachers are at the heart of the process.

The pandemic has shone a light on the irreplaceable value of the teaching profession in society but also  on the difficult working conditions facing many teachers.  Teachers have been on the frontlines to ensure learning continuity when schools were closed and to provide socio-emotional support to their students, especially the most vulnerable ones. They have had to rapidly adapt to remote learning and manage new digital tools, often without training. Today, they must assess and address learning losses among their students, cope with issues of health and safety in the classroom, and leverage remote, hybrid and in-person methods to minimize disruption.

Today we celebrate the exceptional dedication and courage of all teachers, as well as their capacity to adapt and innovate under very challenging and uncertain conditions. They are at the heart of global education recovery efforts and are key in accelerating progress towards inclusive, equitable and quality education for every learner, in every circumstance.

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. This is a time of challenge but also an opportunity for rapid transformation to address the unfulfilled needs which have been multiplied by the pandemic. Sub-Saharan Africa alone requires 15 million more teachers to reach the education goals by 2030. Surmounting these challenges requires bold commitment, investment and innovation on a scale like never before.

A successful education recovery starts with ensuring teachers’ well-being, adequate remuneration and safety, including their prioritization for vaccination together with other key workers.

A successful education recovery calls for investment in more teachers and in training and professional development opportunities, so educators may enrich their practice and gain the skills to integrate and use educational technologies effectively to support learning and adapt to a diversity of learners' needs.

Joint message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization, Ms Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, and Mr David Edwards, General Secretary of Education International, on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day 2021