As ministers and education leaders prepare to convene for the World Summit on Teachers (WST) on 28-29 August, 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 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.
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 will bring firsthand accounts of public education systems under pressure. Their unified message: structural transformation is essential, not cosmetic fixes.
Post about the Summit
Here are sample messages that you can share on your social media:
📢I am joining colleagues at the UNESCO World Summit on Teachers to call on governments to address the global teacher shortage of 50 million and commit to fully funding public education.
👩🏼🏫👩🏽🏫👩🏿🏫The World Summit on Teachers is an unprecedented opportunity to move from words to action!!! Governments MUST commit to fully funding public education and investing in teachers.
Caribbean Union of Teachers and Education International bring young educators together to build leadership skills and regional solidarity
For four days in Saint Lucia, young teacher trade unionists from across the Caribbean shared ideas, debated challenges, built new connections, and reflected on the future of their unions.
Namibia: Education is a national priority, but challenges must be addressed
Education unions reaffirmed that quality public education begins with quality funding during the Education International (EI) Southern Africa Sub-Regional Workshop
on the Go Public! Fund Education
campaign, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 23rd-24th, 2026.
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
18 August 2026
Malawi: Unions put education funding and improving working conditions on the national agenda
Education unions strongly reaffirmed that quality public education begins with quality funding during the Education International (EI) Southern Africa Sub-Regional Workshop
on the Go Public! Fund Education
campaign, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 23rd-24th, 2026.
EI stands with the people and education communities of Colombia in the wake of a devastating earthquake
Education International and its regional office for Latin America expressed their solidarity with the people and education communities of Colombia affected by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Monday, August 10. With the epicenter in the Chocó province, the quake was felt across most of the western part...
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
30 July 2026
Southern African teacher unions’ renewed commitment to Go Public! Fund Education campaign
Education union leaders from across Southern Africa have reaffirmed their commitment to quality, inclusive, equitable and publicly financed education as a fundamental human right and a public good.
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
29 August 2025
Historic Santiago Consensus puts teachers at the heart of education transformation
World Summit on Teachers delivers comprehensive framework demanding sustainable investment in teaching profession
Ministers, teacher unions, and education leaders meeting at the World Summit on Teachers in Chile have adopted the Santiago Consensus
, a comprehensive framework that commits governments to address the global shortage of 50 million teachers through concrete policy action.
