In a recent session on teachers and the teaching profession, Manuela Tomei, the International Labour Organisation assistant director general for governance, rights, and dialogue, underscored the pivotal role of education and teachers in an ever-evolving world.
‘Teachers have the power to spark curiosity, ignite a passion for understanding the world, and cultivate the future workforce,’ she remarked at the Global Gateway High-level event on Education, jointly organized by the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
During this event, Tomei delved into several recommendations put forth by the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-level panel on the teaching profession, a collaborative effort involving ministries of education and labor, employers’ organisations, teachers’ unions, educators, students, civil society, and academia.
Spearheaded by the ILO and UNESCO, the panel aims to address the pressing challenges confronting the teaching profession, including widespread shortages in many regions worldwide.
The recommendations, stemming from the United Nations Transforming Education Summit and building upon the ILO-UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, outline a comprehensive framework of actions to be adapted within national contexts to tackle the critical challenges facing the teaching profession and the acute shortage of teachers in various regions.
‘The Recommendations emphasize supporting the evolving role of the teacher. Teachers need training and support to become knowledge producers and promoters of experiential and inquiry-based learning and problem-solving,’ Ms Tomei explained. ‘They need support to play a key role in promoting good citizenship, sustainability, peace and democracy.’
The Recommendations also promote a human-centred approach to technology, which has been a transformative factor in education.
Teachers require support to give proper guidance to learners, so that they develop a critical attitude towards misinformation.
She further underlined the need for societies to create an enabling environment for learning by ensuring public funding for education and prioritizing public workers like teachers. Recruitment and retention policies also need to be enhanced.
EU Commissioner for International Partnerships and member of the High-level panel, Jutta Urpilainen, agreed that the attractiveness of the profession needs to be enhanced.
‘We need to change the narrative, so that societies recognize and respect teachers, and governments invest in education,’ the Commissioner concluded.
‘We now need to translate the Recommendations into action, and the ILO stands ready to support the work of the international community,’ Ms Tomei concluded.