World Teachers’ Day is celebrated across the globe on October 5th of every year.
Teachers play an important role in building up society. They are the propagators of enhancing the minds of the young generation. For children, parents are the ones who give them life lessons at home but teachers help in their overall development.
Everyone has a favorite teacher like Dumbledore was for Harry, you might as well have one too. On this occasion of World Teachers’ Day, let’s celebrate the selfless contribution and hard work our teachers put in to create a brighter future.
They deserve all the respect and attention and this day reminds us of the importance of a teacher in society and is celebrated globally to honor world educators.
History
In 1994, October 5 was declared as the World Teachers’ Day, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and since then it is celebrated globally on 5th October.
This day marks the anniversary of the 1966 adoption of the ILO UNESCO Recommendation that highlighted the status of teachers. It was in Paris that this was adopted during a special intergovernmental conference.
The official website of UNESCO iterates: “This recommendation sets forth the rights and responsibilities of teachers as well as international standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, teaching and learning conditions.”
In 1997, after this adoption, UNESCO General Conference also adopted the UNESCO Recommendation for the status of higher-education teaching personnel.
Significance
World Teachers’ Day is observed to work towards the rights and responsibilities of the teachers. It focuses on assessing, appreciating, and improving the status of educators all across the globe. The day also helps in addressing the various issues and challenges that a teacher faces
The day voices out the various problems related to recruitment, training, and the issue of education of teachers. The day holds great significance in ways to conquer these challenges and mark their progress.
World Teachers’ Day also throws light on the working conditions and employment opportunities of teachers all across the world and the ways in which they are being discriminated against. This day is important in order to promote quality education for a better future.
Theme
This year’s theme is “The transformation of education begins with teachers”. This theme is very apt because of the fact that the world is dealing with a major crisis. In the middle of a pandemic, teachers truly are at the heart of education recovery.
With the world going digital during Covid-19, teachers have faced various challenges but have come out stronger. Since the beginning, teachers were seen facing issues like connectivity, not being able to focus on the screen at once with so many children and there were teachers who were not very tech-savvy. All these challenges were very common.
Despite all this, the teachers made sure they provided the necessary classes to their students and attend them individually. They were at service 24X7. This year’s theme is a reminder of all these contributions and hard work that the teachers had put in during the pandemic.
Following is a list of some previous year’s themes:
- 2021: “Teachers at the heart of education recovery”
- 2020- “Teachers: Leading in Crisis, Reimagining the Future”
- 2019- “Young Teachers: The future of the Profession”
- 2018- “The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher”
- 2017- “Empowering Teachers”
How to Celebrate World Teachers’ Day
A series of five-day local and global events will be organized and address the issues that teachers had to face during the pandemic, aiming at the necessary steps and ideas that need to be adopted in order to achieve the full potential of the teachers.
This year’s celebrations will be held jointly from October 4-October 8, with the ILO-UNESCO Committee of experts over the recommendations related to Teaching Personnel (CEART).
Here are some ideas for you to celebrate World Teachers’ Day:
- Call your teachers and thank them or even better visit them with a thoughtful gift and tell them what they mean to you.
- Throw a party for your favorite teacher and surprise them.
- Visit a local education center and offer some donations.
- Visit a local NGO of education and appreciate the teachers and applaud them for their selfless service.
Apart from this, there are many other things that you can do on this day and let the teachers know they’re valued.
Some Interesting Facts
- Teachers’ day started in the year in 1931 at National Central University in China. It was approved in 1932 and on Confucius’ birthday in 1939, August 27 was announced as Teachers’ Day but was later dissolved in 1951. It was then celebrated on September 10 since 1985 in China.
- Russia celebrated Teachers’ Day on the first Sunday of October from 1965 to 1994.
- In the US, it is celebrated on the Tuesday of the first full week of May and is celebrated throughout the week.
- In Thailand, National Teachers’ Day is celebrated on January 16.
- In Iran, Teacher’s Day is celebrated on May 2, in memory of Professor Ayatollah Morteza Motehari.
- Islamic countries like Oman, Syria, Libya, UAE, celebrate February 28 as Teachers’ Day.
- In Turkey, November 24 marks Teachers’ Day. In Malaysia, it is celebrated on May 16, calling the day ‘Hari Guru’.
- In India, Teachers’ Day is celebrated on September 5 since 1962.
- The government of India selects the best teachers from across the country and honors them with an award every year on Teachers’ Day.
