World Teachers' Day – Celebrating Teachers and Promoting Change
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World Teachers' Day: Valuing Teachers’ Voices and Ensuring a Brighter Future for Education
On October 5th, ETUCE, in collaboration with Education International, proudly celebrates World Teachers' Day. This year, the theme "Valuing teacher voices: towards a new social contract for education" emphasizes the crucial need to engage with teachers to address the challenges facing the profession. At ETUCE, we believe that no conversation about education can be complete without the insights of teachers who are at the heart of our educational systems.
As the European Week of Teachers (September 30th - October 4th) concludes, we reflect on our #MakeTeachingAttractive campaign. Throughout this week, we highlighted the voices of teachers from across Europe, bringing forward 10 key demands aimed at improving the teaching profession. These demands were shared through daily videos featuring teachers advocating for professional autonomy, decent and competitive salaries, effective career starts, and secure working conditions.
The #MakeTeachingAttractive campaign reiterates 10 vital priorities for improving teaching:
- Promote professional autonomy
- Deliver decent, competitive salaries
- Support effective career start to ensure retention
- Ensure quality professional development
- Embed equality and diversity
- Sustain safe and secure working conditions
- Ensure workload control and work-life balance
- Create democratic school cultures
- Ensure social dialogue
- Value, respect, and empower the teaching profession
In the final moments of this European-wide celebration, ETUCE calls upon governments, policymakers, and the education sector to listen to teachers and to strengthen the social dialogue that shapes education policy. Teachers not only guide the next generation but also hold the knowledge and expertise required to address the profound challenges we face today.
This World Teachers' Day, let us amplify the voices of teachers, ensuring they are heard in every policy decision, and commit to the investments necessary to empower the profession. As members of Education International, we stand in solidarity with educators worldwide, advocating for quality public education and calling on governments to fund and support the teaching profession.
Join us in celebrating teachers, supporting their demands, and working towards a future where teaching is a respected, valued, and attractive profession.