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.
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
10 November 2026
Spain: Education unions join national strike to demand fair wages, affordable housing, strong public services, and quality education
Education International stands in solidarity with member organisations in Spain, and with all teachers, education support personnel and workers joining the general strike on 11 November. Their mobilisation brings together demands for fair wages, affordable housing, equity and strong public services, including fully funded quality public education.
Nepal: Education unions turn Go Public! campaign training into local action
Thirty unionists from four Education International (EI) member organisations have developed practical campaigns to win greater investment in public education, strengthen union organisation, and mobilise communities across Nepal.
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
6 November 2026
Caribbean education unions turn regional solidarity into action for fully funded public education
Education unions from across the Caribbean addressed a shared challenge: governments must invest in teachers and public education if they are serious about teacher retention and every student’s right to quality education. Unionists left the regional meeting with concrete commitments to organise, mobilise, build alliances, and hold governments accountable.
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
5 November 2026
OECD data explains the need to invest in teachers and equity
Teacher shortages cannot be solved simply by recruiting more people into training programs, technology cannot replace the relationships at the heart of education, and education systems must do far more to counter inequality. These were among the key messages for education unions emerging from Education International (IE) webinar with the...
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
6 October 2026
Standing with Teachers: Education International and affiliates’ global call to defend and elevate the profession on World Teachers’ Day
From Lebanon to Eswatini, from Singapore to Canada, educators and their unions marked 5 October with a shared call: invest in teachers, strengthen the profession, and protect the right to education.
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.
