On World Teachers’ Day, educators demand urgent action to address the global teacher shortage
[Brussels, 4 October, 2024] – As school communities everywhere celebrate World Teachers’ Day, educators across the world are calling for immediate action to address the global teacher shortage which threatens the right to education for millions of children in every continent. Underpaid, overworked, and undervalued, teachers are being driven out of the profession, exacerbating a crisis that leaves students without access to qualified teachers and undermines progress towards global education goals.
The scale of the problem is unprecedented: UNESCO reports that 44 million additional teachers are needed globally by 2030 to achieve universal primary and secondary education. The root causes are well-documented—low salaries, poor working conditions, and increased workloads are pushing teachers away from classrooms and discouraging young people from entering the profession. Half of all countries pay teachers less than other professions requiring similar qualifications. Furthermore, the majority of teachers in a global survey last year reported increased stress and burnout, a strong factor in their decision to leave the profession.
The situation is particularly severe in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, which will require 15 million more teachers by 2030. Even in higher-income countries, retention challenges persist, as growing workloads and under-resourced public schools push educators out of the profession, leaving remaining teachers to face even more difficult conditions.
Speaking on this critical issue, the General Secretary of Education International (EI), David Edwards, emphasized the need for decisive action: “Teachers must be paid, teachers must be respected, and yes, teachers must be listened to.” Edwards warned that, without addressing these fundamental issues, “efforts to improve public education globally will fall short.”
In response to the crisis, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres convened a High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, supported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNESCO. This Panel of international experts issued this year key recommendations to address the teacher shortage, focusing on reversing precarious employment, reducing workload, addressing teacher wellbeing, and increasing salaries.
The recommendations include involving teachers in policy decisions, strengthening social dialogue, creating national commissions to improve working conditions and salaries, investing in teacher training and professional development, promoting equity and gender pay equity, and transitioning contract and unqualified teachers to permanent, qualified positions.
Edwards reflected on the significance of these recommendations: “This World Teachers’ Day, real change is at hand. For the first time, the world has a comprehensive plan to end the global teacher shortage and strengthen our profession. The recommendations of the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession are a roadmap to designing the education systems students deserve. The next step is to ensure that governments make this plan a reality for every teacher and every student.”
Mugwena Maluleke, President of Education International, reinforced the importance of listening to teachers and including them in the decision-making processes that shape education policy: “True transformation starts by valuing teacher voices. Teachers must have the professional autonomy to lead, innovate, and make decisions that shape the future of education.”
On this World Teachers’ Day, educators are calling on governments worldwide to fully fund public education, invest in teachers, and improve working conditions. Teachers remain central to the success of public education systems and supporting them is essential to ensuring a quality education for all students.
World Teachers’ Day, celebrated globally on 5 October, is a moment to honor teachers and recognise their indispensable role in public education systems worldwide. This year’s theme, “Valuing teacher voices: towards a new social contract for education”, underscores the urgent need to ensure teachers are actively involved in the decision-making processes that shape education policy and the future of education.
Education International brings together organisations of teachers and other education employees from across the world. Through our 383 member organisations, we represent more than 32 million teachers and education support personnel in 178 countries and territorie