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SANTIAGO, CHILE – As ministers and education leaders prepare to convene for the World Summit on Teachers (WST) on 28-29 August 2025, the global teaching profession faces an unprecedented recruitment and retention crisis. The world needs 50 million more teachers by 2030 across early childhood, primary and secondary education, yet qualified educators are fleeing classrooms due to systematic government failures.

The shortage is especially acute in sub-Saharan Africa, which alone accounts for 15 million, and in Southern Asia, with 7.8 million teachers needed to guarantee every child’s right to a qualified teacher. Europe and North America are also not spared, facing a shortfall of nearly 5 million teachers.

The WST, convened by UNESCO and hosted by the Government of Chile, brings together ministers, UN agencies, teacher unions, civil society organisations and education experts to address the shortage and advance implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4 - inclusive and equitable quality education for all.

“This Summit represents our moment to transform the teaching profession globally,” declares David Edwards, General Secretary of Education International (EI), the global union federation representing 33 million education workers. "We have the solutions: fair pay, good working conditions, job security, strong initial education and continuous professional development, and meaningful voice in education decisions. What we need now is governments to commit resources and implement the UN recommendations on the teaching profession. The Chilean government's leadership in hosting this Summit demonstrates the political will we need to see worldwide."

Building on this commitment to transformation, Education International arrives in Santiago with a clear framework for addressing the global teacher shortage that centers on concrete solutions and immediate action.

Teacher voices from across all continents including Portugal, Senegal, Palestine, South Africa, Lebanon, Australia, Brazil, and the United States will bring firsthand accounts of public education systems under pressure. Their unified message: structural transformation is essential, not cosmetic fixes.

Reflecting on the global solidarity driving this movement, Edwards adds: "We are united in our determination to ensure every learner, no matter where they live, is taught by a well-supported qualified teacher, and a public education system that empowers them to transform the world."

Education International kicks off summit week with a Go Public! conversatorio on 26 August, setting the stage for two days of ministerial dialogues, and the adoption on 29 August of the Santiago Consensus, a multilateral agreement outlining shared commitments to transform the teaching profession and build sustainable education systems worldwide.

From recommendations to action

This teaching crisis reflects broader global political choices: while military spending surged to US$2.4 trillion in 2023, public education budgets faced severe cuts. Most countries fall short of recommended allocations: 6 percent of GDP and 20 percent of national budgets. Debt servicing now exceeds spending on education in almost 80 percent of countries, affecting more than 6 billion citizens.

UNESCO data shows teacher attrition rates doubled in some regions since 2015, driven by stress, mental health crises, and systematic erosion of professional wellbeing. Education unions globally report alarming trends of governments hiring unqualified teachers or those with minimal training to fill vacancies quickly.

The World Summit on Teachers builds on the UN recommendations on the teaching profession, released 18 months ago. “This crisis is neither inevitable nor irreversible. It demands political will and strategic investment. The recommendations provide the necessary roadmap to tackle the teacher shortage," emphasises Mugwena Maluleke, President of Education International. "It is now time to move beyond recommendations to action. We need governments to commit resources and implement the recommendations."

"Education International's message is unequivocal: without immediate action on recruitment, retention, professional wellbeing, and genuine social dialogue that respects teachers as professionals, the world's education goals will remain empty promises," added Maluleke.

Santiago's outcomes will signal whether the international community treats public education as an urgent, achievable priority or distant aspiration.

About Education International

Education International (EI) is the global union federation representing 33 million teachers and education workers through 383 member organisations in 180 countries and territories. EI is the voice of the teaching profession worldwide.

EI leaders and teacher representatives from all continents will be available for interviews throughout summit week.

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Resources:

• WST official website
• Education International’s Go Public! Fund Education campaign