World Teachers' Day
October 2019
October 2019
Statement of the Education International General Secretary marking World Teachers' Day on 5 October 2019.
To improve the profession, to work together for fair conditions, out of solidarity - young teachers share the reasons that led them to join an education union.
With the world in dire need of new teachers, valuing and improving the status of the profession to make it more attractive to young people is key to ensuring equitable and inclusive quality education for all.
World Teachers’ Day: young teachers and the future of education in the spotlightDuring the conference celebrating World Teachers’ Day at UNESCO headquarters, Education International proposed five key measures that should be taken by governments to attract and retain young people into the profession.
World Teachers’ Day: EI takes the stage at UNESCO Conference and proposes five measures to make teaching a more attractive professionIf you are passing through Glasnevin Cemetery on the outskirts of Dublin City Centre, you may come across the noticeable yet simple gravestone of James Larkin. Engraved on it is ‘James Larkin 1876-1947, The Labour Leader’. Larkin’s Gravestone may be simple but the legacy he left behind is much more...
#youngteachers “I owe my union activism to my students”, by Anthony Dowling (TUI, Ireland).After completing university with good grades, I had the chance to do the national service: a one-year mandatory service for Ghanaian students who graduate from accredited tertiary institutions which aims at tackling brain-drain and unemployment hence ensuring that various key sectors are adequately resourced. I did it at the Amansie...
#youngteachers “Making education a choice career for young Ghanaians”, by Samuel Rainer Donkor (TEWU, Ghana).Get ready. This is going to be a feel-good story about why you should go out into the world and teach. Also, hopefully it will inspire you to become an active unionist. And if you have left teaching, I will try to convince you to come back to the magical...
#youngteachers “Join the world of teaching! It’s worth it.”, by Anette Sandvaer (UEN, Norway).I was impressed by the way my teachers, both in Primary and Secondary schools, had taught me. The way they taught was very motivating and contagious. That inspired me to be like them when I grew up.
#youngteachers “Finding the balance: my passion as a teacher and its workload”, by Petero Sanele Kubunavanua (FTA, Fiji).I have been working in the education sector for five years. It is not a long time but it is not a short time either. I have spent a lot of good time teaching students, cooperating with my colleagues and participating in trade union activities - the activities of The...
#youngteachers “Trade unions at your side!”, by Michal Horník (ČMOS-PS, Czech Republic).Luxembourg’s shortage of qualified primary school teachers has often made the front pages in recent years, even though the OECD has once again reported that Luxembourg’s teachers are the best paid. A shortage and an exceptional salary may seem like an inexplicable paradox, even to those of us in Luxembourg,...
#youngteachers “Career attractiveness and resources to foster inclusion”, by Laurent Berck (SNE/CGFP, Luxembourg).Teaching is just like life: always full of surprises. Too often, however, these surprises give rise to frustration, disappointment and demotivation. But why, you might ask? It’s simple: education is one of society’s essential foundations and we all know that we must invest in it through well thought out and...
#youngteachers “To teach, is to commit”, by Khalid El Mahroug (SLFP, Belgium).