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The impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the education sector and educators, the upcoming celebrations of World Teachers’ Day, as well as the recognition by UNESCO of the teacher-student relationship as a Human Heritage. These topics were debated at the latest Education International (EI) Communicators’ Network (ComNet) Global meeting.

AI and Education: Getting educators ready to use this tool

The virtual meeting held on 25 September started with Nick Scott, director of Trade Union AI from Unions21, sharing his perspective on AI from a unionist point of view.

Explaining that AI is affecting many employers and workplaces, he said that “while unions are focused on influencing employers to use AI in a worker-friendly and ethical way, few unions understand how AI impacts them.”

He went on to note that the speed, breadth and exponential rate of improvements means AI is becoming increasingly relevant for union staff in the kinds of tasks they undertake regularly. For him, the launch of ChatGPT was a catalyzing moment: “The take-up of AI has been quicker than it was for the Internet. It is now hard to avoid using generative AI in many products and devices.”

He also stressed that one fear can be AI misuse by union staff, and employees in general, who are not trained to understand appropriate application and use of AI, technical and ethical considerations.

Scott finally presented key examples of union staff using AI tools to help them in their diverse tasks (email redaction, member mobilization activity, etc.).

Education International is organizing a Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence from December 4th-5th, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium.

Teacher-student relationship: A common heritage of humanity

Manuela Mendonça, EI Executive Board member and President of the National Board of the National Federation of Teachers (FENPROF/Portugal), explained that the idea of having the teacher-student relationship recognized as one of humanity’s most important shared heritages came from a trade union from the north of Portugal, one of the trade unions members of FENPROF.

A college professor with three decades of experience in terms of teacher training, Isabel Batista, launched this idea in 2018 in her editorial for the union magazine, entitled “Teacher-students, unique chemistry, a brand for life and material treasure.” She wrote that “teaching, inspiring, guiding and supporting every training path is one of the most sublime and relevant forms of human activities and is based on an interpersonal meeting. It is high time we heightened the teacher-student relationship in accordance with the objectives that preside over UNESCO.”

The article also launched a challenge to everyone, Mendonça said, to get their memories, testimonies and reflection on the teacher-student relationship, underlining the most invisible dimension of educational activities.

She went on to quote Brazilian author Rubem Alves: “Teaching is an exercise to reach immortality. Somehow, we continue to live upon those eyes who have learned to watch the world by the magic of our wording. Therefore, the teacher will never die.”

The Portuguese trade union leader explained the impact of the COVID pandemic, “if there were any kind of positive effect from the pandemic, it made it clear that nothing can replace the personal relation between teachers and students and that it was high time we addressed this issue, and this is what we did.”

Mendonça concluded by reaffirming that this acknowledgement would be “the way to dignify the teaching profession in the future. It will be a landmark for the coming generations. There is still a lot to come before this becomes a reality, this is a mere recommendation. This has still got to be acknowledged, but we celebrate progress made.”

EI and member organizations are now strongly advocating and campaigning for this recognition. They acknowledge that the act of teaching and educating corresponds to one of the most significant and relevant forms of human activity, at the foundation of which lies a transformative relational dynamic, led by duly qualified professionals – teachers.

She also reported on the historic Santiago consensus putting teachers at heart of education transformation. The Santiago Consensus was adopted by ministers, teacher unions and education leaders meeting at the August 2025’s World Summit on Teachers in Chile. It represents a comprehensive framework that commits governments to address the global shortage of 50 million teachers through concrete policy action and sustainable investment in teaching profession.

2025 World Teachers’ Day: High-level event in Africa

The Director of the EI Africa regional office, Dennis Sinyolo, then took the floor to introduce the high-level event set to commemorate World Teachers’ Day, and to be held in conjunction with the Pan African Conference on Teacher Education (PACTED) 2025, from October 1st-3rd, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Conference will provide a platform for stakeholders across Africa to address the challenges with the theme – “Advancing Strategies for Teacher Training, Recognition, And Professional Development”. It coincides with the celebration of the African Union Continental Teachers Awards 2025 and the launch of the African Union Continental Teacher Community of Practice (CoP) Platform. It aims not only to celebrate teachers, but also to engage various stakeholders, from policymakers to educators, to discuss strategies, innovations, challenges in teacher education in Africa, and the launch of the African Union Accelerated Action for the Transformation of Education and Skills Development in Africa (2025-2034). A powerful EI delegation will be present to remind governments of the continental commitment to accelerate inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all, aligned with Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

On the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, October 5th, EI developed a Communications Toolkit with key messages for member organizations and education activists to spread on that day.