In its 2022 advocacy brief, the Teacher Task Force brought to the forefront the work and recommendations coming out of the Transforming Education Summit, especially concerning the thematic action track on teachers. An essential observation came out of the work and reflections of all partners and Member States - there is a clear need for global initiatives on national teacher policies.
On 19 June 2023 the United Nations Secretary-General announced the establishment of a High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession which will build on the outcomes of the Transforming Education Summit to ensure that every learner has access to a professionally trained, qualified, and well-supported teacher who can thrive within a transformed education system.
"We are facing an extraordinary global teacher shortage. 16.5 million primary and secondary education teachers need to be recruited in sub-Saharan Africa alone. We need to accelerate our efforts to improve the status of teachers and their working conditions to make the profession more attractive. The establishment of the High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession marks a crucial milestone in our efforts towards this goal. The recommendations of this diverse panel of experts and stakeholders will support meaningful change and ensure every learner has a well-supported and qualified teacher," says Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education.
Supported by a joint UNESCO – International Labour Organization (ILO) Secretariat, the Panel will draw together ministries, teachers, students, unions, civil society, the private sector, and academia. The Panel’s report will serve as a contribution to broader efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4, as an input to ongoing preparations for the 2024 Summit of the Future and help advance follow-up on the Transforming Education Summit.
As it did during the Transforming Education Summit, the Teacher Task Force will utilize its extensive and diverse network of stakeholders to harness knowledge, expertise, and resources in support of the High-level Panel. The first UNESCO-Teacher Task Force Global Report on Teachers, scheduled for release later this year, will both draw from the Panel's work and contribute valuable insights to it.
The Teacher Task Force will be represented at the High-level Panel by one of its co-Chairs, Ms Matsie Angelina Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education of South Africa, and will benefit from the contributions of TTF Steering Committee members; namely, ILO, and Education International.
The Teacher Task Force and its network are fully dedicated to providing support to the Panel and the recommendations that will be issued for the overall advancement of the teaching profession.
- More on the High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession
- Read the Teacher Task Force Advocacy brief which summarizes the main issues and recommendations which were developed as part of the third thematic Action Track on “Teachers, teaching and the teaching profession” of the Transforming Education Summit and proposed concrete strategies and recommendations
- Read the discussion paper on teachers identifying the ambitions, challenges, opportunities and possible solutions for the teaching profession prepared for the 2022 UN Transforming Education Summit
Photo credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten