On September 19 world leaders met at the United Nations and committed to transforming education everywhere. Teachers are at the heart of this transformation; they must be trusted and supported to make quality public education a reality for all students.
The leadership of teachers in transforming education is the theme of this year’s World Teachers’ Day – The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers. Co-convened by Education International, UNESCO, the International Labour Organization, and UNICEF, World Teachers’ Day 2022 aims to highlight the work of teachers and call on governments to invest in teachers, involve teachers, trust and respect teachers.
“To truly celebrate World Teachers’ Day, we must go beyond thanking teachers. We must invest in quality public education systems. We call on governments everywhere to invest in teachers, guarantee labour rights and good working conditions, involve teachers in decision-making, and trust their pedagogical expertise. The transformation starts with teachers. We are the beating heart of education.”
David Edwards | General Secretary, Education International
Celebrate World Teachers’ Day and join the movement to transform education!
Here are a few things you can do in your union, your school, or online to celebrate World Teachers’ Day 2022.
1. Print and display this year’s poster
In your school or your union, make sure everyone knows it’s World Teachers’ Day.
📢 This #WorldTeachersDay, we call on all governments to do their part: ✅ invest in teachers ✅ involve teachers ✅ trust teachers ✅ respect teachers pic.twitter.com/G9uPhHTWIg
4. Tune in for the World Teachers’ Day event hosted by UNESCO
Our General Secretary David Edwards will bring the voice of teachers everywhere to the opening ceremony of the World Teachers’ Day event hosted by UNESCO in Paris. The event will begin at 10:00 am, Paris time, on October 5th. Watch the event live on the UNESCO website.
Other speakers include Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO; Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization; and Catherine Russel, Executive Director of UNICEF.
Related Items
Future of work in education
23 July 2025
United States: Union-powered National Academy for AI Instruction aims to put teachers in the driver’s seat on technology in the classroom
Founded by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and its affiliate the United Federation of Teachers in partnership with Microsoft, Open AI, and Anthropic, the National Academy for AI Instruction will provide access to free training and curriculum on artificial intelligence (AI) for all 1.8 million members of the AFT.
Education unions join forces to support teachers in Palestine as they keep education alive against all odds
Education International member organisations in Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom have teamed up for a project in support of the General Union of Palestinian Teachers, its members, and their students.
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
15 July 2025
Ethiopia and Nepal: Go Public! campaign showing strong results with solidarity and strategic advocacy
In a world where education systems are increasingly under threat from austerity measures and privatization, EI’s Go Public! campaign has emerged as a powerful force for change, as demonstrated during a recent EI Development Cooperation (DC) Café gathering union leaders and partners.
Education International opens consultations to ensure voice of the profession is heard in the revision of international Recommendations on the status of teaching personnel
In the lead up to the revision of the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (1966) and the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel (1997), Education International (EI) has launched a consultation process with its 375 member organisations representing over 33 million educators in 180 countries...
From private failures to public futures: Why FFD4 must Go Public
David Edwards
For over a decade, Education International has warned that the World Bank's “Billions to Trillions
” agenda—a strategy to leverage small amounts of public money to attract private investment for development— would prioritize private profit over public need. We were dismissed as ideological, anti-market, unrealistic. Then came the evidence.
Financing a Public Future: A Collective Statement for UN Public Services Day - 23rd June 2025 on the eve of the 4th UN Financing for Development Conference
Less than one fifth of the sustainable development goal targets set a decade ago are presently on track for achievement in 2030 and a major cause of this is the continued chronic underfunding of public services around the world. Three quarters of lower income countries spend more on debt servicing...