The panel aims to create a new vision for the teaching profession that benefits teachers, students, parents, and education systems worldwide. It will prioritize the goal of ensuring that every learner has a professionally trained, qualified, and well-supported teacher, fostering an environment conducive to transformative education.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has launched the High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, a global initiative designed to address the worldwide shortage of teachers. The panel, a key outcome of the 2022 United Nations Transforming Education Summit, will deliver evidence-informed recommendations to improve conditions for teachers and educators and enhance global education standards.
Education International, the world’s largest federation of unions, represents teachers and education employees on the panel. The organization is responsible for amplifying the voice of the teaching profession within the panel’s framework.
The panel aims to create a new vision for the teaching profession that benefits teachers, students, parents, and education systems worldwide. It will prioritize the goal of ensuring that every learner has a professionally trained, qualified, and well-supported teacher, fostering an environment conducive to transformative education.
The panel’s recommendations will align with existing international labor and education standards and will serve as guidance for governments, policymakers, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and other stakeholders in their efforts to improve working conditions for teachers and educators.
The panel has identified six fundamental imperatives for the future of the teaching profession: Quality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Humanity, Sustainability, Dignity, and Innovation and Leadership.
These imperatives encompass various aspects, including teacher development, career growth, and professionalism to issues of discrimination, gender equality, human rights, and teacher well-being. Additionally, the importance of long-term planning, dignified employment terms, labor rights, technological innovations, and transformative leadership in education will be considered.
The panel’s work will cover educators from early childhood to tertiary education, including technical and vocational education and training.
This effort aims to present a transformative roadmap to address the global teacher shortage and redefine the teaching profession. It underscores the commitment to ensuring that every learner has the opportunity to thrive in a reformed and effective education system.
The final report of the High-Level Panel is expected to formulate action-oriented recommendations that will shape future policies and strategies in education, thus reaffirming the significance of teachers in global development.
