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.
Democracy in the Classroom: New book supports teachers to build democratic learning environments
Education International and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) have joined forces for the launch of Experiencing Democracy in the Classroom: Building Democratic Learning Environments to Promote Civic Learning
, an open-access volume that provides teachers with tools and examples of how to create democratic learning...
Fighting the commercialisation of education
22 June 2026
Go Public: Unions work together to defend and invest in public education throughout the Pacific
Confronted with severe teacher shortages, Education International (EI) member organisations have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen collective action to defend educators’ wellbeing and fair working conditions, and to advocate for the sustainable public investment needed to secure quality education for every child across the Pacific. They also underscored what education...
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
10 June 2026
French-speaking unions call for investment in public education and stronger social dialogue
The Francophone Trade Union Committee for Education and Training
(CSFEF) is stepping up its efforts in the fight against the commodification of education, calling for public investment and fact-based social dialogue that is central to decision-making.
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
26 May 2026
Haiti: Education unions stand firm in the face of insecurity and political instability
Despite the prolonged political crisis, endemic violence, and growing economic insecurity
, education unions in Haiti are continuing their campaign to defend public education and teachers’ rights. Meeting within the framework of the Go Public! Fund Education
campaign, trade union leaders present a clear picture of the situation and reiterate...
Belgium: trade unions and civil society stand united against rising energy prices and government reforms
Rising energy prices and the anti-social reforms put forward by the federal “Arizona” coalition government prompted tens of thousands of people to respond to the call from Belgium’s joint trade union front, formed by the CSC, FGTB, and CGSLB.
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.
