IfL calls on policymakers to revisit the origins of World Teachers’ Day
As teachers, learners and educational establishments around the world prepare to celebrate World Teachers’ Day, the Institute for Learning (IfL) is calling on policymakers and further education sector leaders in England to revisit the recommendations adopted by Unesco in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) at a special intergovernmental conference in 1966.
IfL’s chief executive, Toni Fazaeli, said, “It is worth remembering the origins of World Teachers’ Day, namely the adoption of the ILO/Unesco Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. Although not binding on nations, these recommendations were designed to serve as a basis for and influence the development of national laws or practices concerning teachers: an international frame of reference.
“The recommendations include that teaching should be regarded as a profession; that advance in education depends largely on the qualifications and ability of the teaching staff; that teachers should have expert knowledge and specialised skills, acquired and maintained through rigorous and continuing study; that all teachers should be prepared in general, special and pedagogical subjects in universities (or their equivalents); and that unqualified personnel should be required to obtain or complete their professional teaching qualifications.
“IfL agrees with these recommendations and considers it regrettable that the government has recently seen fit to revoke the regulations requiring teachers and trainers in further education and skills to have teaching qualifications. The ILO/Unesco document also advised that teachers should be consulted on matters of educational policy – an overwhelming majority (87 per cent) of the 6,000 or so members who responded to our consultation on the subject of initial training and qualification last year strongly supported the position that teachers should be qualified, but policymakers chose to ignore their views.
“It is now down to individual establishments to determine whether or not all their teachers need to have teaching qualifications, meaning that there is a lottery for learners, who deserve better.
“IfL encourages all those who value high-quality teaching and learning to mark World Teachers’ Day, perhaps by tweeting with the hashtags #WorldTeachersDay and #teachingqualifications, or writing a thank you letter to a teacher who made a difference.”
