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.
As the people of Iran continue to rise against an oppressive regime and face violent repression, Iranian teachers and unionists are calling for international solidarity.
Follow the latest from Iran's education trade union community below!
Teacher unions reaffirm the power of early childhood education and demand increased funding
Persistently highlighting the crucial importance of early childhood education (ECE) for inclusive quality public education, Education International (EI) and its member organisations are pushing for increased funding in this educational sector.
Union partnerships are redefining professional development worldwide
From Canada to The Gambia, from Denmark to Zanzibar, education unions are reshaping professional development as a collective, teacher-led project rooted in solidarity, dignity and local realities.
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4
29 January 2026
Three years of Go Public! Fund Education: Union power transforming public education worldwide
For the International Day of Education, January 24th, Education International (EI) leaders came together to recognize the power of the Go Public! Fund Education
campaign, which calls on governments to invest in public education and in teachers. In the 3 years since the launch of the campaign, it has been...
Belgium: thousands take to the streets to defend public education and young people's future
In Brussels, between 6,500 and 8,000 people took part in a mass public march to protest against the austerity measures affecting education and young people in Belgium. The demonstration sought to mark a turning point and is part of a wider movement to defend the right to free, quality public...
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.
