World Teachers' Day (International Teachers Day)

World Teachers’ Day (International Teachers Day) is a day of awareness celebrated globally on October 5 of each year. Founded in 1994, this day marks the anniversary of the 1966 Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers, an international document establishing the rights and responsibilities of teachers. On World Teachers’ Day, people celebrate the role of teachers in forming young minds and safeguarding personal, national, and international education into the future. People also discuss and attempt to find remedies for numerous problems facing education in the modern world.

Background

Teaching has always been a crucial aspect of the human experience. Even the earliest peoples taught the skills needed for life, such as hunting and toolmaking, to younger generations. Later, people began teaching increasingly complex ideas that would ultimately develop into the world’s social traditions, cultures, and religions.

Despite the great importance of teaching, in early times it was an informal process. The first teachers were parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, older siblings, and various other members of the community. In the era before professional academic credentials, people could only teach based on their own beliefs and experiences. Education was unstructured, but generally served the practical need to transmit basic skills and lessons.

With the development of increasingly advanced and complex civilizations, teaching became much more structured. More advanced levels of teaching became necessary to teach skills and impart knowledge beyond the basic essentials of life. These new skills included reading, writing, farming, raising animals, and using machines. Education became a main key to social improvement. However, few people had the free time, money, or connections to gain formal education.

In many societies, leaders and noble families hired private teachers to educate their children. Many of these first formal teachers were philosophers, such as Confucius of China and Aristotle of Greece. They taught a wide range of subjects, from math and language to lessons about nature and the spiritual realm, with the aim of making students into well-rounded citizens and future leaders.

Over time, education expanded into the first universities and other centralized locations for learning. At this time, teaching became an increasingly common profession, and the learning process became more controlled and standardized. By the modern era, with science and technology so advanced that few people can rely on basic life skills alone, widespread education was viewed as a necessity for a functioning society. The growth of public schools, in theory at least, made education available to all and made teaching one of the most influential functions of society.

Overview

By the twentieth century, most countries considered education essential. Governments focused attention, legislation, and funding to promote high standards of education as an investment in the future of their nations. The teaching profession became more prestigious and more stringent, requiring teachers to gain ever-increasing academic credentials. Teachers were also challenged to keep up with the briskly changing times by incorporating new technology into their lessons and ensuring students are equipped to handle the complex problems of the modern age.

Three organizations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the International Labour Organization (ILO); and the International Bureau of Education decided to officially acknowledge the role of teachers in guarding and improving the future. On October 5, 1966, these organizations published the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers. This document established global expectations for the rights and duties of teachers. It ensured that teachers would be properly qualified, selected, and compensated for their important work. It also included protections of children’s right to education.

Many heralded the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers as a landmark document. It both honored and empowered teachers and made clear that proper education was essential for the improvement of world civilization. In 1994, supporters of the document declared a new day of celebration called World Teacher’s Day. This day would be noted each October 5 to honor the groundbreaking document. It would also recognize and celebrate the teachers at the core of the document.

Each year, UNESCO assigns a distinct theme to World Teacher’s Day celebrations. In 2018, for instance, the theme was “The Right to Education Means the Right to a Qualified Teacher.” This theme reflects the belief that all people have a right to education, and skilled and dedicated teachers are essential to achieve that right. The 2018 celebration additionally marked the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations’ landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a decree that established the idea of a worldwide right to education. Other themes of World Teacher’s Day have included “Engaging Teachers” and “Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers.”

On World Teacher’s Day, people in more than one hundred nations recognize teachers in a variety of ways. Education experts from around the world can attend a UNESCO-sponsored symposium in early October to discuss developments in the educational realm. Various local organizations often present awards to exceptional teachers. Analysts and concerned citizens write about the status of education, or hold seminars on the topic. Many other people find their own ways to celebrate, such as reflecting on a favorite teacher or by giving cards or kind words to teachers they know.

World Teacher’s Day also serves as a reminder of the many problems facing world education and the initiatives in motion to solve them. Some of these problems include overcrowded classrooms, a lack of qualified teachers, and government funding cuts for education. Even though education is seen as key to progress, millions of young people still do not have access to proper learning opportunities.

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a document listing dozens of goals for nations and organizations to meet by 2030. This document prominently features the educational goal of providing equitable and quality educational opportunities for all people. To do this, nations must create safe and effective places for learning; increase assistance to students, particularly in developing countries; and bring more qualified and dedicated teachers into the field. These goals provide another focus of attention on World Teacher’s Day.

Bibliography

“Happy World Teachers’ Day: Why and How to Celebrate in 2024.” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2024, www.hmhco.com/blog/happy-world-teachers-day-why-and-how-to-celebrate. Accessed 1 May 2024.

Hirsch, Shula. “History of Teaching as a Profession.” Classroom, 2019, classroom.synonym.com/history-teaching-profession-6458025.html. Accessed 1 April 2019.

“October 5: World Celebrates International Teacher’s Day.” Times of India, 5 Oct. 2018, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/october-5-world-celebrates-international-teachers-day/articleshow/66080219.cms. Accessed 1 May 2024.

O'Hagan, Clare. "World Teachers' Day: Audrey Azoulay Pleads for an Upgrade of Teachers' Status to Reduce the Global Shortage." United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 3 Oct. 2023, www.unesco.org/en/articles/world-teachers-day-audrey-azoulay-pleads-upgrade-teachers-status-reduce-global-shortage. Accessed 1 May 2024.

Waldron, Amanda. “Celebrate World Teachers’ Day with these 9 Facts about Educators.” Brookings Institution, 5 Oct. 2018, www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2018/10/05/celebrate-world-teachers-day-with-these-9-facts-about-educators/. Accessed 1 April 2019.

“World Teachers Day 2018.” Awareness Days, 2019, www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/world-teachers-day-2018/. Accessed 1 April 2019.

“World Teachers’ Day.” United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2023, en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldteachersday. Accessed 1 April 2019.