Teachers claim better working conditions
Teachers from around the world celebrate today, October 5, the World Teachers' Day, a tribute date for the work they do to contribute to an equality ducation and to sustainable development. On this occasion, teachers celebrate the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development where they highlight its fundamental role to guarantee its application, they demand more places and better working conditions.
A Joint Message on the occasion of World Teachers' Day (WTD) signed by UNESCO, the International Labor Organization (ILO), UNICEF, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Education International (IE) ) says that "every year, in the World Teachers' Day, we honor teachers and the fundamental role they play in providing a quality education to children around the world. "And they add:" Today, at a time when the world community is coming together to support the Agenda 2030 of the UN for Sustainable Development, that central role is more significant than ever, "say the world organizations.
"Empowering teachers to build sustainable societies" is the theme of World Teachers' Day 2015.
Teacher work problems in the world
Teachers are the cornerstone of education, the key to sustainability and the national capacity to achieve learning and create societies based on knowledge, values and ethics, but nevertheless, teachers continue to face the problems arising from the lack of personnel, poor training and low social status.
In this regard, the Trade Union Confederation of Education Workers (STES) states that "teachers can not perform their educational function while governments do not provide a solution to the lack of personnel in educational centers, to the deficiencies of initial training and permanent, precarious work and low social consideration of their work.
For its part, the Spanish coalition Global Campaign for Education (formed by Ayuda en Acción, Educo and Entreculturas) has highlighted the "massive deficit" of teachers in the world, which will continue to deprive millions of children of the right to primary education.
2.7 million teachers are needed
Precisely, this year has included lifelong learning as one of the objectives of the UN post-2015 agenda and has been asked to different countries around the world the defense of an inclusive and equitable education. According to this Coalition, at least 74 countries face a serious shortage of teachers, and 59 million children are excluded from primary school.
According to data from the Institute of Statistics of Unesco, it would be necessary to hire 2.7 million primary teachers to fulfill the objective of educating all children. This institution estimates that to reach the goal of universal primary education by 2020, countries will need to hire a total of 12.6 million primary teachers.
The World Campaign for Education calls for more teachers to limit the ratio of student / teacher to classroom, more ongoing training and motivation of these professionals, that all receive a living wage, negotiate and agree salary scales or that the 6 is assigned percent of the countries GDP to education.
The goal of education: Agenta Educativa 2030
The new global objective of education, SDG 4, which occupies a central place in the Education Agenda 2030, demands an inclusive and equitable quality education, and the promotion of
This agenda will only be fulfilled if society "invests in hiring, supporting and empowering teachers", they add. But all over the world, there are still "too many teachers undervalued and disempowered".
Governments should "duplicate their efforts and engage in dialogue with teachers and their organizations", in addition to "intensifying their efforts to offer sufficiently trained, well-appointed, motivated and well-supported teachers for all schools, all communities and all children, "the organizations have declared.
Marisol Nuevo Espín
