Ei-iE

In less than a month on October 5th, World Teachers Day will take place once again. It will see teachers, students, parents and communities all around the world coming together to celebrate the achievements of teachers, and to raise their voices in favour of Quality Teachers for Quality Education.

World Teachers' Day in the Philippines, 2006

This year, the campaign will focus on working conditions, according to the motto ‘Better working conditions for teachers mean better learning conditions for learners’. On behalf of its affiliates, Education International has identified six key demands:

1. A decent working environment 2. A living wage 3. Equal pay and equal rights for women teachers 4. Initial and ongoing professional development 5. Involvement in policy-making 6. Collective bargaining to defend and enhance teachers’ rights.

Education International is collecting teachers’ testimonies, in order to document the inadequate conditions in which educators from all over the world are working. We invite you to do the same at your union, and to publicise the results in order to raise awareness on any shortcomings apparent within your education system, and the need for government action. Please share those testimonies with us, so we can feature them on our website and in our publications! You can post your testimony on our website (www.ei-ie.org/worldteachersday) and read the stories of other teachers.

This year is also a special year, as it is the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel. Please click here for more information.

With less than one month to go, teachers’ organisations affiliated to EI have already started to plan and prepare for World Teachers’ Day. We have received reports of plans to organise marches and conferences, distribute informative material, contribute to TV and radio shows, organise sporting and arts events, and celebrate the important role of the teacher in a host of different ways. In Saint Lucia, a Teacher Appreciation Day will be held, along with a conference and a rally. In the UK, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) will be holding a joint reception with Amnesty International, featuring high-profile speakers. The National Association of Teachers (ANDE) in Costa Rica will organise a forum on the working conditions of teachers and quality education. In Lesotho, the Lesotho Association of Teachers (LAT), in collaboration with the Campaign for Education Forum, will organise a rally where thousands of teachers are expected to attend. In Burkina Faso, the National Union of Secondary and Higher Education Teachers (SNESS) and other unions will organise a press conference on the commoditisation of education, and a movie screening on the role of the teacher.

Please visit our website (www.ei-ie.org/worldteachersday) for more examples and suggestions of activities to be organised on this day!