The future of Teaching profession.

Responses to the Global Conversation shone a light on the mental health and well-being of teachers in an education system that was over-stretched. They noted a ‘lack of quality teachers … because teachers are not paid with a good salary’, an urgent ‘need to address and expand capacity of teachertraining institutes’, and the lack of ‘comprehensive professional development system for teachers’. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated digital transformation in education have reverberated through the teaching profession, revealing and exacerbating the digital divide across all levels of education. As remote learning took over as the principal modality of education during the pandemic, teachers were expected to manage even with low levels of preparation and training (Boly Barry, 2020). A survey carried out by Education International in 2020 found that only 29% of respondents found that governments had provided adequate and sufficient support for teachers in the transition to digital learning (Education International, 2020). Likewise, 52 out of 57 States that responded to a UNESCO survey on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education indicated a significant need for teacher training in online and distance learning in order to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic, followed by the need to develop guidelines, tools, and learning materials to further develop distance learning. As students and teachers rely more and more on online sources, teachers also require critical digital skills to work in complex, uncertain and rapidly changing educational environments, especially in times of crisis, to fully engage in pedagogical innovation and to become resilient lifelong learners themselves. Acquiring digital skills also enable relevant and appropriate use of new technologies in education, as a means of supporting the educational process, but not replacing schools or teachers. Another frequently cited issue was the lack of adequate devices and connectivity. Schools that were well-resourced before the pandemic in terms of technology and digital literacy for teachers, fared better (Human Rights Watch, 2021). In other areas, teachers were often lacking the financial assistance, necessary equipment or internet connectivity to deliver remote learning successfully. Some of them had to rely on their own possessions or bear the financial burden for the necessary ICTs. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, education is also threatened by the effects of climate change (destruction of schools, roads and school facilities, forced displacement of teachers and pupils due to climate change, etc.) and the increase in migratory flows worldwide. One of the major consequences of these phenomena is the increase of learner diversity in classrooms, with learners coming from minority linguistic and cultural backgrounds often being the most impacted. This makes it difficult for teachers to provide quality education for all, especially as they already had a very high workload before the emergence of these phenomena (due to high pupil-teacher ratios, administrative and accountability tasks that had already been added to their educational duties, long working hours, a lack of balance between teaching and non-teaching activities and a lack of work-life balance...). In this context, teachers should receive adequate initial and in-service training on how to foster an inclusive learning environment, free from all forms of discrimination and based on principles of cooperation and solidarity, rather than exclusion and individualistic competition. Teachers should be trained and supported to create individualized learning pathways and to make education authentic and relevant to a diverse set of learners, meeting their different educational needs, respecting their language and culture, but also providing emotional support in the case of traumatic migratory experiences.

 In that regard, the International Commission on the Futures of Education highlights a shift in the conceptualization of the role of the teacher. Looking forward to 2050, the future of teaching is recast as a ‘collaborative profession’, which thrives on teamwork between other education staff, parents, the community and other stakeholders to provide inclusive education. Similarly, the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession calls for societies to create conditions in which learning and teaching are supported by parents and learners and for governments, learning institutions, teacher organizations and other stakeholders to work together with a view to developing teachers that can give learners the best chance to succeed in life. The need to train teachers in ICT skills or on how to provide inclusive education is part of a more general shift in the conceptualization of the role of teachers. As noted by the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, teachers need to strategically utilize the digital revolution and AI in their pedagogical approach, incorporating them into engaging and human-centered teaching and learning methods. Furthermore, as highlighted by the new social contract set out in The Vision Statement of the Secretary-General on Transforming Education (2022) and the International Commission on the Futures of Education (2021), the role of the teacher must no longer be limited to disseminating skills and knowledge, but must also act as a producer of knowledge, facilitator and guide in understanding complex realities. Teachers must be able to work collaboratively with learners to promote learning based on experience, inquiry and curiosity, and be able to develop the ability, joy and discipline necessary for problem-solving. They must also be able to prepare learners for citizenship, life and work, and contribute to the sustainability of the planet and their communities

Updating the legal framework for teachers 

In order to ensure quality education, the State has the responsibility to ensure the rights of teachers. The rise of these new challenges and responsibilities for teachers, in a context where their working conditions and social recognition were already a source of dissatisfaction, may push qualified teachers to leave the profession,. In the context of the 2023 World Teachers’ Day, UNESCO announced the need for an estimated additional 44 million teachers to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030 (UNESCO, 2023). With this global teacher shortage, there is an urgent need to address the normative framework surrounding teachers and ensure their protection and proper renumeration, both for their own rights but also to prevent a supply or quality crisis that affects learners’ rights to education. As for now, according to UNESCO, 6 out of 10 countries still pay primary school teachers less than other professionals with similar qualifications. The UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (2018) can support teacher training personnel educational experts, policy-makers, teacher support personnel and other professional development providers to update teacher professional development to include teaching methods using ICTs. The ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, adopted in 1966, sets the international standards for the initial training and continued professional development of teachers, alongside the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel (1997) and includes the most comprehensive normative framework on the responsibilities and rights of teachers. In October 2021 UNESCO and ILO organized a session of the CEART, with the participation of Education International, to consider the relevance of the two Recommendations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the delivery of emergency education. Questions were raised as to whether it is time for an update of the 1966 Recommendation – and, potentially, of the 1997 Recommendation, as well – to include guidance on emergency education planning and other aspects of modern professional teaching, such as the need for using digital pedagogies for remote or hybrid instruction. Other aspects for review include the roles of specialist teachers, as well as preprimary, TVET and non-formal educators, currently lacking regulation in the normative framework.

While recalling the continued relevance of these two recommendations from UNESCO and UNESCO/ILO, the United Nations Secretary-General High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession has adopted new recommendations (in September 2023), applicable to all levels and streams of education, which requires implementation, by all relevant education stakeholders, and aims to

 address the modern challenges faced by the teaching profession and therefore to transform the teaching workforce “into a high status, highly qualified, well-supported, properly remunerated, and highly respected profession, which is capable of guiding and promoting inclusive, effective, and relevant learning