World Teachers' Day 2024: Valuing teacher voices: Towards a new social contract for education

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World Teachers’ Day is held annually on 5 October to celebrate all teachers around the globe. It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. The Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel was adopted in 1997 to complement the 1966 Recommendation by covering teaching personnel in higher education. World Teachers’ Day has been celebrated since 1994.

It is a day to celebrate how teachers are transforming education but also to reflect on the support they need to fully deploy their talent and vocation, and to rethink the way ahead for the profession globally.  

World Teachers’ Day is co-convened in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNICEF and Education International (EI).

Valuing teacher voices: Towards a new social contract for education

Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the future by nurturing students and driving educational progress. However, to fully harness their potential, it's crucial that their voices are heard and valued in the decision-making processes that affect their profession. This year’s World Teachers’ Day highlights the need to address the systemic challenges teachers face and to establish a more inclusive dialogue about their role in education. 

The 2024 celebrations will focus on "Valuing teachers' voices: towards a new social contract for education." The event will emphasize the importance of integrating teachers' perspectives into educational policies and fostering a supportive environment for their professional development. This theme responds to the significant challenges highlighted by the UN Secretary General’s High-level panel on the Teaching Profession, and our recent Global Report on Teachers, including a growing shortage and declining working conditions., including a growing shortage and declining working conditions. 

The day will feature an opening ceremony with high-level messages from UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF, and Education International. It will also include a keynote address on the necessity of a new social contract in education and a segment showcasing teachers’ voices from the room and around the world, sharing their insights on improving policies and practices. Additionally, the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development will be awarded, celebrating outstanding contributions to teacher development. 

Teacher Task Force #TeachersMissing campaign

This year’s focus underscores the urgency of calling for and attending to teachers' voices to address their challenges but, most importantly, to acknowledge and benefit from the expert knowledge and input that they bring to education. As part of the Teacher Task Force #TeachersMissing campaign, the morning teacher voices session will be the occasion to give the floor to teachers in the room and to showcase the video testimonies of teachers from around the globe.

Event format

World Teachers' Day 2024 will be held in a hybrid format, offering both in-person and virtual participation options. The event will take place in-person at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, Rooms I and IV. Interpretation in French, Spanish, English, Arabic, and Portuguese will be available. The public will be invited to actively participate and engage in the discussions.

More information

The programme, concept note and all the communications assets can be found on the official UNESCO World Teachers' Day webpage.