World Summit on Teachers: 50 million teachers are needed now. Education leaders call for action!
Santiago de Chile | 28-29 August 2025
From recommendations to action
18 months after the UN recommendations on the teaching profession, world leaders and Education International representatives gather in Santiago de Chile to confront an unprecedented crisis. Without immediate action on recruitment, retention, and genuine social dialogue, the right to education remains an empty promise.
The Summit
The World Summit on Teachers (WST) brings together ministers, UN agencies, teacher unions, development partners and education advocates to move from words to action.
Education International arrives in Santiago representing 33 million education workers worldwide, carrying clear demands from teachers across all continents: fair pay, decent working conditions, job security, strong professional development, and meaningful voice in education decisions.
We reject governments' attempts to lower qualification standards as quick fixes. Our message resonates clearly: stop the deprofessionalisation of teaching. Start investing in our collective future.
Key events and programme
- 26 August: Go Public! Conversatorio - Setting the narrative
- 27 August: Pre-summit mobilisation and strategic planning
- 28-29 August: Official summit and adoption of the outcome document (Santiago Consensus).
Concept note and full programme available here.
Our demands
Address the crisis at its roots
The global teacher shortage reflects systemic political failure.
The crisis by numbers:
- 50 million primary, secondary teachers and early childhood educators are urgently needed
- Sub-Saharan Africa faces the most acute need: 15 million teachers.
- Europe and North America confront shortfalls of nearly 5 million teachers.
Teacher attrition rates have doubled in some regions since 2015, driven by systematic underinvestment and deteriorating working conditions.
Strengthen the teaching profession
Good working conditions and fair remuneration
- Competitive salaries reflecting professional expertise and ensuring pay equity
- Manageable workloads that enable quality teaching
- Job security and career progression pathways
- Governments must allocate a minimum of 20% of national budgets and 6% of GDP to education and education budgets must be protected from austerity measures
Professional recognition and autonomy
- Genuine teacher involvement in policymaking at all levels
- Respect for professional expertise in curriculum and pedagogy
- Strong initial education and continuous professional development free of charge for teachers
- Protection of academic freedom and union rights
Protect the human dimension
- Recognition of teacher-student relationship as global human heritage
- Technology that amplifies rather than replaces human connection
- Safeguarding professional autonomy in the context of increased AI use in education
Resources
Communications toolkit:
- Social media content for member organisations. Click here to download the toolkit!
Press materials:
- Pre-summit release
- Go Public! Conversatorio- program
Summit and context:
- WST official website
- The Fortaleza declaration- Regional commitment that sparked global momentum
- UN recommendations on the teaching profession - The blueprint we're fighting to implement
- Global report on teachers: addressing teacher shortages and transforming the profession - Evidence base exposing the depth of the crisis
Live coverage
Follow the WST on our social channels and check back here for live updates, pictures, and breaking news during 28-29 August:
- Livestream: (TBD)
- Twitter/X: @eduint
- Facebook: @educationinternational
- LinkedIn: @education-international
- Instagram: @eduint
- BlueSky: @eduinternational.bsky.social
Take action! Join the movement
The Santiago Consensus will only become reality through collective mobilisation. Every teacher, every union, every advocate has a role in transforming this moment of crisis into profound change.
The WST is a pivotal moment in our Go Public! Fund Education campaign, demanding that governments stop divesting from education while pouring trillions into military spending.
Join millions of educators worldwide fighting for fully funded public education with teachers at its heart!
During the summit (28-29 August)
- Follow live coverage across our channels
- Share stories from your frontlines
- Connect with the global movement
After the summit
- Hold governments accountable to commitments
- Build sustained coalitions for education funding
- Continue organising for transformation
