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Addressing the Committee on the Application of Standards at the International Labour Conference on June 3rd, EI President Mugwena Maluleke responded to the report of the joint ILO-UNESCO Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendations concerning Teaching Personnel (CEART). As the Workers’ Group spokesperson, Maluleke welcomed the proposal to revise the 1966 and 1997 Recommendations and stressed that the revision must be informed by the findings of the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession.

“The CEART report clearly reaffirms what we have always known: teachers are the cornerstone of quality education. A trusted, respected, well-supported, and fairly compensated teaching workforce is essential to delivering equitable, high-quality education for all. Yet the education workforce remains chronically undervalued, overworked, and underpaid. Now, more than ever, we must urgently invest in the teaching profession and uphold the rights of teachers”, Maluleke stated.

Factors fuelling the global teacher shortage

As the CEART report highlights, the global teacher shortage of 44 million educators in primary and secondary schools and an additional 6 million in early childhood education continues to threaten both the quality of education and broader social progress.

The High-Level Panel convened by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2024 correctly identified the causes of the shortage: uncompetitive salaries, poor working conditions, erosion of labour rights, diminishing professional autonomy, and limited opportunities for growth and development.

Maluleke reported that unions across all regions of the world recognise low pay as the single most significant factor driving teacher shortages, stressing that “budget cuts lead to uncompetitive salaries and worsening working conditions, which ultimately harm the quality of public education”. As the Joint Committee report emphasises, over time teaching has become viewed as a job of last resort due to several considerations, including low salaries, which erode the prestige and attractiveness of the teaching profession.

Other factors driving the teacher shortage include the proliferation of temporary, short-term, and part-time contracts that create precarity in the sector; the erosion of professional autonomy and academic freedom even in countries that consider themselves democratic; as well as a growing mental health and safety crisis among teachers who often report a poor work-life balance and high levels of stress.

Speaking on behalf of the Nordic Workers’ Group, Liz Helgesen echoed these conclusions, noting that recruitment in Norway is at an all-time low. Helgesen highlighted the growing violence and harassment that teachers face, the need to protect teachers’ autonomy as a democratic imperative, as well as the gender dimension of the challenges, with women dominating the early childhood and primary education sectors where pay and status are lowest.

Imperative need to support teachers in crisis and emergency contexts

The report of the Joint Committee warns about the difficulties faced by teachers in crisis and emergency contexts, highlighting safety and security risks. Addressing their physical, emotional and psycho-social needs, as well as ensuring equitable and predictable compensation are imperative in order to support the workforce that provides access to education to some of the most vulnerable children in the world.

“We echo the call of the Joint Committee to revise the 1966 and 1997 Recommendations by incorporating the findings of the UN High-Level Panel which stress the need for targeted support for teachers in emergency settings, including increased funding and robust payroll systems to ensure timely and adequate compensation”, Maluleke said.

The impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence on teaching and learning

The introduction of new digital technologies and AI in education poses significant challenges to teachers. While some teachers find themselves at risk of being replaced by AI, others see their work lives negatively impacted by enhanced surveillance, increased workloads or an inability to disconnect.

The EI President welcomed the Joint Committee’s call for the revision of the 1966 and 1997 Recommendations to focus on respecting teachers’ agency, autonomy, pedagogical choice and sensitivities in developing and deploying technologies in classrooms. Teachers must be placed “at the core of technological innovation and implementation by recognising that social dialogue is essential in technology selection, deployment, and oversight”, Maluleke stated.

Crackdown on labour rights and lack of social dialogue with the profession

Noting that all the issues discussed could be addressed more effectively through social dialogue between education unions and governments, Maluleke stressed that around 20% of unions report weak or inexistent social dialogue mechanisms for pay, working time, and job security.

Interventions from Tobokani Rari of the Botswana Education Sector Trade Unions, Melissa Ansell-Bridges of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from Isabel Olaya from FECODE and Vice-President of Education International Latin America, Jose Olivera of FENAPES Uruguay, and Roberto Baradel, a member of EI's executive board and of CTERA Argentina supported the concerns expressed by the EI President.

In Botswana, unions warn that the government is pushing to privatise education, limiting access for the most disadvantaged children. At the same time, because the law does not adequately protect the rights of workers in the private sector, most education workers in the country will see their ability to effectively bargain and conclude collective agreements severely impaired.

Educators in New Zealand are also facing a move by the government to privatise education and limit educators’ labour rights. A new bill introduced the establishment of charter schools, enabling the conversion of state schools to privately operated but publicly funded institutions. In the schools that convert to charter status, educators are not covered by collective agreements, are stripped of their redundancy rights, and are forced into individual employment agreements. “No doubt, this will further exacerbate the previously mentioned concerns around teacher retention”, stated Melissa Ansell-Bridges, Secretary of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi.

Addressing the situation in Latin America, Isabel Olaya denounced the “constant and systematic persecution of trade unions by the governments”. The EI Latin America Vice President also highlighted that without freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the right to strike, educators cannot defend their working conditions nor the quality of public education.

Jose Olivera, General Secretary of EI member organisation FENAPES Uruguay, echoed these concerns and warned about the impact of the teacher shortage and of the privatisation of education on the fundamental right to education and social justice in Latin America. The union leader expressed support for the revision of the 1966 and 1997 Recommendations with a focus on integrating the policy proposals of the UN High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession.

Roberto Baradel of CTERA Argentina reported on the situation in his country, denouncing the decree issued by the Government which limits the right to strike for teachers and other public sectors. The decree declares education as an "essential service," but only for the specific purpose of restricting industrial action. Teacher unions consider this decree unconstitutional and unfair, as well as a violation of their right to strike.

“Increasingly, we see efforts to use the right to education as a justification to restrict labour rights. But let me be clear: teachers cannot safeguard the right to education if their own rights are denied. The Workers’ Group strongly reaffirms that robust social dialogue and effective collective bargaining are the only sustainable pathways to decent working conditions”, Maluleke emphasised.

Call for UN High-Level Panel findings to inform the revision of Recommendations concerning Teaching Personnel

The EI President supported the CEART suggestion for the revision of the 1966 and 1997 Recommendations to incorporate the policies proposed by the UN High-Level Panel on Teaching Profession.

The revised Recommendations should:

• Combat workforce inequalities, articulate an intersectional approach to discrimination and highlight the importance of inclusive, safe, and non-discriminatory work environment for all teachers;
• Recognise the challenges posed by the climate crisis and digital transformation to working conditions and the professional autonomy and agency of teachers;
• Acknowledge the crucial role and rights of early childhood education teachers.

“The Workers’ Group stands ready to support the revision process and to ensure that teachers’ voices are heard, respected, and reflected—working alongside governments and employers. The rapidly changing world of work as well as global demands for social justice can only be met by education systems that are powered by well-trained, well-paid, and well-supported teachers and education workers”, Maluleke concluded.