Worldwide
World Teachers’ Day and ILO/UNESCO Recommendations on Teachers
This year’s 5 October marked the 50th anniversary of the 1966 International Labour Organisation (ILO)/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.
On 20 September, Education International (EI) organised a special event in New York, USA, to commemorate the anniversary and to remind governments, employers and UN agencies that its provisions must be fully applied.
This year’s World Teachers Day(WTD) also put a spotlight on the Recommendation, providing EI and member organisations globally with an opportunity to urge governments to value teachers and to improve their status. At the WTD global commemoration convened by UNESCO in Paris, France, on 5 October, EI called on governments to invest in education and teachers, their training, professional development, salaries, and working conditions. At the event, EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen noted that many Ministers of Education do not even know about the 1966 Recommendation. He stressed the need for teachers to repossess their profession and take the lead in developing professional standards.
