Every October 5th, we celebrate World Teachers' Day to honour the tireless efforts and unwavering dedication of educators around the world. With this year’s theme, The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage, the day recognizes educators’ pivotal role in shaping our future, but it also tackles the many challenges that teachers encounter — challenges that to a shortage crisis within the profession.
As we dive into this critical issue, we turn to IsaÃas Landaeta, who is known for his influential voice on social media, and who carries a huge passion for education and change. With thousands of followers on social media platforms like and , formerly Twitter, Isaias uses his reach to shed light on relevant social issues, and his latest endeavour takes us into the heart of teacher shortage, a crisis that threatens our progress towards Transforming Education landscapes.
IsaÃas recognizes the significance of addressing the alarming statistics revealed by the latest UNESCO data — 44 million additional teachers need to be recruited globally to meet universal primary and secondary education in 2030 (see ). Isaias is a firm believer that education is the cornerstone of progress.
The new UNESCO figures have unveiled a concerning trend—a global decline of interest in pursuing a teaching career. With these figures arise questions that go beyond the surface: What challenges do teachers face that contribute to increased attrition rates? UNESCO raised a red flag about the potential global devaluation of teachers' status in the 2023 GEM Report (see ), and the organization is urgently calling on countries to embolden the call to join the teaching profession. UNESCO stressed that elevating the dignity and value of teaching as well as sustaining support and development of teaching workforces are essential to strengthen the profession, attract talent, and continuously ensure quality education for all.
In this #WorldTeachersDay video, IsaÃas talks with grade school teacher Anahy, to help raise awareness about the teachers' current situation.
