Message from the Joint ILO/UNESCO Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendations concerning Teaching Personnel (CEART)
On the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, 5 October 1966, the Joint Committee of Experts (CEART), composed of independent experts appointed to monitor and promote the application of the 1966 and 1997 Recommendations on the status of teachers, strongly supports the theme chosen to commemorate World Teachers’ Day 2006: Quality Teachers for Quality Education. The 1966 Recommendation is an international standard designed to highlight the importance of the role of the teaching profession in promoting education in its most basic dimensions. The Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel, which was adopted by UNESCO in 1997, extends the application of international standards to higher education teaching staff. On this occasion, the CEART also underlines the role of teachers and researchers of higher education in ensuring quality education. Both of these standards establish good practice guidelines for almost all the key questions concerning teachers, from pre-primary to higher education.
Much has changed throughout the world since the 1960s, but as the Joint Committee said in 1988, one truth endures: the status of teachers depends on the status of education, just as the status of education depends on the status of teachers. Quality education for all cannot be achieved without a high professional standing, rigorous initial and continuing teacher education, good teaching and learning conditions, and engagement of teachers in education reform decisions through effective and institutionalized social dialogue. These are the core principles of the 1966 and 1997 Recommendations. They are the basic guideposts for the future of teaching, and they must apply to all teachers, in developed and developing countries alike.
At all levels of education, teachers are at the very heart of the efforts made to establish the common foundations for the acquisition of skills, knowledge, lifelong learning, culture, respect for constructive achievements and regard for codes of conduct that are essential for the economic, social and cultural progress of society. In so many respects, the future of the world is in the hands of teachers. Accordingly, on this special day, the Joint Committee urgently appeals to all members of educational communities throughout the world - governments, teachers' organizations, private education providers and businesses, parent-teacher and student associations - to enter into frank and honest social dialogue in support of a high status for teachers and the promotion of quality education at all levels of education.
Ms. Anne Lise Hostmark Tarrou
Chairperson, CEART
On October 5 each year, teachers’ organisations worldwide mobilise to ensure that the needs of future generations are taken into consideration.
UNESCO inaugurated October 5 as World Teachers’ Day in 1994 to commemorate the joint signing of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers on 5 October 1966. World Teachers’ Day also highlights the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel adopted in 1997.
According to UNESCO, World Teachers' Day represents a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development. Education International strongly believes that this Teachers' Day should be internationally recognized and celebrated around the world. EI also believes that, on this anniversary date, the principles of the 1966 and 1997 Recommendations should be considered for implementation in all nations.
Over 100 countries observe World Teachers' Day. The efforts of Education International and its 348 member organisations have contributed to this widely spread recognition. Every year, EI launches a public awareness campaign to highlight the contributions of the teaching profession.