2023 World Teachers' Day: The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage

With the theme "The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage", the 2023 celebrations will aim to put the importance of stopping the decline in the number of teachers and then starting to increase that number at the top of the global agenda. Through various activities, it will advocate for a dignified and valued teaching profession, analyse their challenges, and showcase inspiring practices to attract, retain and motivate teachers and educators. It will also examine the ways in which education systems, societies, communities, and families recognise, appreciate, and actively support teachers.

World Teachers’ Day is co-convened in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNICEF and Education International (EI).

The events on 5 October will be hybrid (both in person UNESCO Headquarters 7, place Fontenoy, 75007 Paris, France and online) and on 6 October will be online only.

List of events

Recognition and appreciation: the role of teacher prizes in enhancing the status of the profession

5 October 11:00 - 1:00 pm (Paris time), Room IX, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France

Register here to participate in person and here to participate online.

All over the world, we find a wide variety of prizes aimed at rewarding outstanding practices in the teaching profession, ranging from schools to adult and higher education, and covering different fields of study. There are international, regional and national prizes, such as the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development, the Global Teacher Prize, the African Union Continental Teacher Prize, the European Innovative Teaching Award, and many National Teacher Prizes. This panel aims to discuss the role of teacher prizes as symbols of recognition of the work undertaken by educators, as an essential form of contribution to the improvement of their status within the community and, ultimately, as a lever to raising the appeal of the profession. 

2023 World Teachers’ Day Opening Ceremony

5 October 2:30-4:30 pm (Paris time), Room IX, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France

Register here to participate in person and here to participate online.

After opening remarks of the co-conveners of World Teachers’ Day, the event will present critical data on the appeal of the teaching profession, highlighting teacher voices on what they find attractive and challenging in the profession. An open conversation will be organized with the co-conveners, decision-makers, and experts from the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, who will present what they see as the priority actions needed to make the profession more appealing in the years ahead. 

Teacher education in emergencies to support attraction and well-being

6 October 12:00-1:30 pm (Paris time), online event, register here to participate online.

A two-hour roundtable convened by the Global Education Coalition (GEC) with the support of UNHCR, the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (TBC), and the TTF will explore the unique challenges of maintaining the appeal of the profession in emergency contexts. The session will include a short introduction of the current project being implemented by GEC in Ukraine, and programmes in crisis and emergency contexts to ensure that teachers in hardship situations can continue to teach through a suite of resources and approaches focused on digital, pedagogical, and socio-emotional skills. The roundtable will be followed by a discussion on the support teachers need to realize their commitment and their vocation in the most difficult contexts. 

Global pathways to an attractive teaching profession 

6 October 3:00-5:00 pm (Paris time), online event, register here to participate online.

A two-hour workshop co-convened by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) and Education International (TBC) will explore national and regional policy responses and programmes to improve the appeal of the teaching profession in response to the global shortage on teachers. There will be a plenary session with presentations by TTF members on initiatives and evidence on improving the attraction and retention of qualified and motivated teachers, followed by regional breakout sessions for participants (policy makers, teacher unions, TTF members, teachers) to explore localised challenges and responses in more depth.

Consult the official UNESCO World Teachers' Day page for more information and updates.