UNESCO calls for a new deal on teachers
UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, has called for a new deal on teachers to improve the quality of learning. Bokova made this call in her opening address to the Sixth Meeting of the Collective Consultation of NGOs on Education for All (CCNGO/EFA), held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, from 24-26 October 2012.
Monique Fouilhoux, former EI Deputy General Secretary, has been chair of the ad hoc group of the CCNGO for several years.
The main purpose of the CCNG/EFA meeting was to review EFA progress since Dakar in 2000, identify remaining obstacles to be addressed in order to accelerate progress and come up with recommendations for a post 2015 EFA agenda.
UNESCO Director-General’s priority issues
Bokova said a new deal on teachers was one of the key steps needed to move the EFA agenda forward. “In moving forward, three issues strike me as critical,” she said. “First, we must focus on girls’ education and women’s literacy. Second, we need a new deal on teachers to improve the quality of learning. Lastly, we need a transformation in how we educate and what we educate for, to foster global citizenship.”
She added that this meeting was an opportunity to explore these issues.
Emphasising the role of governments and civil society, Bokova said: “Governments must act, and the international community must support them – but this is not enough. To succeed, we need the power of civil society to promote new opportunities, to ensure accountability and to monitor progress.”
She went on to say: “We cannot tire in reminding governments to invite you to the table when education policies and strategies are being designed. Certainly, I count on your advice to gain momentum to reach the EFA goals and also to shape a post-2015 agenda.”
Bokova reminded participants of the Education First initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General, seeing it as “as an accelerator of our work”, “a way to mobilise greater political will”.
The UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education Qian Tang singled out EI as one of UNESCO’s key partners stressing that the cooperation between his organisation and the global union federation representing 30 million teachers worldwide is crucial to achieve EFA goals. “Our joint work acknowledges the need for quality teachers, and their crucial role for in quality education”.
Education is a fundamental right
Speaking at the same event Ms Fouilhoux reminded the participants that education is a human right and said that governments have a responsibility to provide education. Ms Fouilhoux narrated the history of the CCNGO/EFA and urged the participants to make maximum use of this official UNESCO mechanism to influence and shape debate on EFA within and beyond UNESCO.
Quality educators crucial to achieve EFA by 2015
EI representatives at the meeting, Deputy General Secretary, David Edwards and Senior Coordinator Dennis Sinyolo called for more investment in teachers and education in general. They urged governments to invest at least 6 % of their countries’ GDP in education and to invest in teacher training, continuing professional development and conditions of service.
The CCNGO/EFA meeting was attended by about 150 representatives of civil society. The meeting was expected to come up with recommendations to UNESCO and to elect new members of the Coordination Group, replacing the ad hoc committee.
Bokova’s message at the occasion of the Sixth Meeting of the CCNGO/EFA is available here
To learn more about this meeting, please click here
