Teachers are the backbone of education systems and the key to reaching learning goals, regardless of context and situation. Within the COVID-19 crisis, they are on the front line in ensuring that...
The Teacher Task Force is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming webinar “Adult Educators as Lifelong Learners and Facilitators of Lifelong Learning,” hosted by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) within the framework of the joint research project Teachers as Lifelong Learners, in collaboration with Shanghai Normal University. The webinar will take place on 25 June from 13:00 to 15:00 CET.
Carlos Vargas, Head of the Teacher Task Force Secretariat and Chief of UNESCO's Section for Teacher Development, will join the event to speak on the topic of global teacher policies and the question of adult educators, drawing on the Teacher Task Force’s extensive work advocating for teacher policy development worldwide.
In today’s rapidly evolving societies, educators - especially adult educators - face a multitude of shifting demands. They not only facilitate knowledge acquisition, but also support learners’ personal development, encourage critical thinking, and adapt to diverse needs and contexts. This webinar will offer a space to rethink the role of adult educators through the lens of lifelong learning, and to explore how policies, technologies and training can better support their professional development.
Objectives of the webinar include:
Exploring practical strategies and innovations that empower adult educators to be both users and facilitators of lifelong learning;
Discussing the implementation and impact of global and national policy initiatives related to adult education;
Identifying opportunities for adult educators to engage in continuous professional learning, including through the use of emerging technologies.
Programme Highlights:
Opening remarks and personal testimony from an adult educator
Presentation of UIL’s thematic paper on adult educators as lifelong learners
Intervention by Carlos Vargas on global teacher policies and adult educators
Case studies and research from Latin America, Kenya, and India
Moderated Q&A and closing reflections
This webinar will bring together policymakers, researchers and practitioners to share insights and innovations that elevate the status and capacity of adult educators in lifelong learning ecosystems.
UNESCO and the Government of Chile are pleased to announce the World Summit on Teachers, to be held in Santiago de Chile.
Taking place on 28 and 29 August 2025, with a “Day Zero” on 27 August for socio-cultural activities, visits, and pre-accreditation, the Summit is organized in conjunction with the SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee meeting.
Building on the recent global events and reports that forged a global consensus on the need to invest in dignifying the teaching profession, the Summit aims to address the global challenge of teacher shortages and to advocate for sustained support for teachers in a challenging economic and socio-political context.
It will bring together ministers, teacher representatives, international organizations and key education stakeholders for high-level dialogue on teacher policies, financing, innovation and inclusion.
Official invitations to ministries will follow shortly.
More information will be available here soon.
Contact: 2025teachersummit@unesco.org
UNESCO and the Government of Chile are pleased to announce the World Summit on Teachers, to be held in Santiago de Chile.
Taking place on 28 and 29 August 2025, with a “Day Zero” on 27 August for socio-cultural activities, visits, and pre-accreditation, the Summit is organized in conjunction with the SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee meeting.
Building on the recent global events and reports that forged a global consensus on the need to invest in dignifying the teaching profession, the Summit aims to address the global challenge of teacher shortages and to advocate for sustained support for teachers in a challenging economic and socio-political context.
It will bring together ministers, teacher representatives, international organizations and key education stakeholders for high-level dialogue on teacher policies, financing, innovation and inclusion.
Official invitations to ministries will follow shortly.
More information will be available here soon.
Contact: 2025teachersummit@unesco.org
A webinar titled Low-tech, high impact: Training teachers where they are - Scalable Mobile-based Teacher Training Solutions: Lessons Learned and Perspectives will take place on 4 June at 15:00 CET (GMT+2) via Zoom.
Organised by the International Teacher Task Force, its Thematic Group on Digital & AI, co-led by MESHGuides and Digital Promise, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), through GIZ, the webinar aims to showcase innovative low-tech training approaches that enable in-service teacher professional development in low-resource and crisis-affected contexts.
Click here to register for the webinar.
Background
With an estimated global need for 44 million new teachers by 2030 to meet SDG 4 targets, effective and scalable training solutions are critical. Conventional models often fail to reach teachers in remote or crisis-affected areas. The COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the urgency of equipping teachers with foundational and 21st-century skills needed for resilient and inclusive education systems. Low-tech mobile solutions, such as SMS and WhatsApp-based training, offer flexible, accessible, and scalable opportunities that meet teachers where they are.
Speakers and programme highlights
Carlos Vargas, Head of the Teacher Task Force Secretariat, will provide the welcome and background introduction.
A representative from GIZ will introduce the presented solutions.
ProFuturo, a leader in digital teacher training, will share insights and lessons learned from implementing teacher training programs in low-resource contexts.
The Future Teacher Kit (a joint initiative by GIZ, UNESCO, and UNICEF) will be presented, highlighting mobile-supported teacher training tailored for remote and crisis-affected settings. This segment will include contributions from the Jamaican Teaching Council, Ministry of Education Ecuador, UNESCO Ecuador, UNESCO Jamaica, and UNICEF’s Helsinki Global Innovation Learning Hub.
The webinar will also include Q&A sessions and a moderated discussion facilitated by the co-leads of the TTF Thematic Group on Digital Education and AI. Discussion topics will address key future skills for teachers, challenges and successful strategies in teacher training, as well as barriers and enablers for scaling mobile-based approaches and partnerships.
Objectives
Expected outcomes
Participants are expected to gain a deeper understanding of mobile-based teacher training approaches and to be inspired to adapt and scale such models in their own national contexts.
Additional information
The webinar will be conducted in English only; interpretation will not be available.
Registration
Please register here.
A webinar titled Low-tech, high impact: Training teachers where they are - Scalable Mobile-based Teacher Training Solutions: Lessons Learned and Perspectives will take place on 4 June at 15:00 CET (GMT+2) via Zoom.
Organised by the International Teacher Task Force, its Thematic Group on Digital & AI, co-led by MESHGuides and Digital Promise, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), through GIZ, the webinar aims to showcase innovative low-tech training approaches that enable in-service teacher professional development in low-resource and crisis-affected contexts.
Click here to register for the webinar.
Background
With an estimated global need for 44 million new teachers by 2030 to meet SDG 4 targets, effective and scalable training solutions are critical. Conventional models often fail to reach teachers in remote or crisis-affected areas. The COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the urgency of equipping teachers with foundational and 21st-century skills needed for resilient and inclusive education systems. Low-tech mobile solutions, such as SMS and WhatsApp-based training, offer flexible, accessible, and scalable opportunities that meet teachers where they are.
Speakers and programme highlights
Carlos Vargas, Head of the Teacher Task Force Secretariat, will provide the welcome and background introduction.
A representative from GIZ will introduce the presented solutions.
ProFuturo, a leader in digital teacher training, will share insights and lessons learned from implementing teacher training programs in low-resource contexts.
The Future Teacher Kit (a joint initiative by GIZ, UNESCO, and UNICEF) will be presented, highlighting mobile-supported teacher training tailored for remote and crisis-affected settings. This segment will include contributions from the Jamaican Teaching Council, Ministry of Education Ecuador, UNESCO Ecuador, UNESCO Jamaica, and UNICEF’s Helsinki Global Innovation Learning Hub.
The webinar will also include Q&A sessions and a moderated discussion facilitated by the co-leads of the TTF Thematic Group on Digital Education and AI. Discussion topics will address key future skills for teachers, challenges and successful strategies in teacher training, as well as barriers and enablers for scaling mobile-based approaches and partnerships.
Objectives
Expected outcomes
Participants are expected to gain a deeper understanding of mobile-based teacher training approaches and to be inspired to adapt and scale such models in their own national contexts.
Additional information
The webinar will be conducted in English only; interpretation will not be available.
Registration
Please register here.
The Global Disability Summit 2025 took place on 2–3 April in Berlin, convening more than 4,000 participants including governments, organizations, advocates and individuals to advance disability rights and promote inclusive development. In the lead-up to the Summit, the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 launched an advocacy campaign titled “Teachers with disabilities: Voices we must hear, leaders we must follow” to ensure that the experiences and leadership of teachers with disabilities were part of this global conversation.
Led by the Teacher Task Force’s thematic group on Inclusion and Equity in Teacher Policies and Practices - co-chaired by VSO and the International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET) - the campaign aimed to amplify the lived experiences and leadership of teachers with disabilities, whose insights are too often absent from education discourse and policy. Through interviews, blog posts and social media features, the campaign shared personal stories and calls to action from educators across the globe.
Looking back, the campaign not only highlighted the persistent barriers these teachers face but also showcased the vital leadership they bring to building inclusive, resilient education systems for all.
This multi-week campaign underscored the essential role teachers with disabilities play in advancing inclusive education. It featured personal testimonies, advocacy messages and spotlights on educators who teach, lead and innovate - often while navigating significant obstacles.
Over the course of two weeks, the campaign spotlighted nine remarkable educators with disabilities from across Africa and Asia, each demonstrating that inclusive education begins with inclusive teaching workforces. From Malawi, Esther Mbite, a blind primary school teacher, shared how her classroom innovations break down barriers to excellence, while Chipulikano Balekire Ngulube, a rural teacher with a mobility impairment, championed inclusive pedagogy. Esterr Viko, also from Malawi, emphasized the need for accessible learning materials as a teacher with an upper body impairment. In South Africa, Qaphelani Dlamini, a wheelchair user with spina bifida, spoke about his dual role as an educator of learners with physical disabilities and an advocate for inclusive teacher training, while Ingrid Parkin, a deaf teacher, highlighted the importance of language and culture in her work at a school for deaf learners.
From Nepal, Shankar Upadyaya and Shrikanta Sapkota, both with severe visual impairments, described how they use assistive technology and champion disability-inclusive curricula in their classrooms. Loknath Gautam, a deaf teacher in Nepal, advocated for integrating sign language training into formal teacher education programmes. Finally, Paul Longoli from Uganda, a teacher with a mobility impairment, showed how leadership and mentorship can challenge perceptions of disability and inspire change in education systems. Together, their stories reflect the strength, diversity and determination of teachers with disabilities driving inclusive education forward.
As part of the campaign, Dr Heike Kuhn, Co-Chair of the Teacher Task Force and Head of the Education Division at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), contributed a blog post reflecting on the importance of empowering teachers with disabilities and placing their voices at the centre of education reform. In it, she underscored the value of their lived experience in shaping education:
“Teachers with disabilities are not just role models - they are essential to building inclusive and resilient education systems.”
The campaign culminated in a panel titled “Transforming Classrooms: The Power of Teachers with Disabilities in Inclusive Education”, hosted by Perkins School for the Blind at the Summit’s Inclusive Education Hub. Moderated by Dr Heike Kuhn, the session brought together teachers from Uganda, Malawi, Nepal, Rwanda and South Africa.
In powerful personal testimonies, educators spoke about the systemic challenges they face - such as inaccessible training, discriminatory attitudes and infrastructure barriers - as well as the creative, inclusive strategies they have developed in response. Their collective message was unequivocal: there is no inclusive education without inclusive teaching workforces.
Key takeaways from the panel included:
The campaign served as both a call to action and a source of inspiration. It reminded policymakers, donors and education leaders that investing in teachers with disabilities is not only a matter of justice - it’s a path to quality, innovation and resilience. The stories we shared delivered a clear message: recognising teachers with disabilities as leaders, not just as beneficiaries of inclusion, is essential. True inclusion must extend beyond students to embrace those who teach them, and disability inclusion must be understood not only as a right, but as a powerful force for building stronger, more resilient education systems.
The Global Disability Summit concluded with renewed commitments to disability inclusion, including the Amman-Berlin Declaration, which urges that at least 15% of international development programming at the country level explicitly pursue disability inclusion.
The Teacher Task Force will continue to advocate for inclusive teacher policies and support its members in driving systemic change, including through the thematic group on Inclusion and Equity in Teacher Policies and Practices. With the world facing a projected shortfall of 44 million teachers - according to the UNESCO and the Teacher Task Force 2024 Global Report on Teachers - it is more urgent than ever to ensure that teachers with disabilities are not only included but empowered to lead.
Now is the time to act. We must:
Inclusive education starts with inclusive teaching. Let’s keep listening, investing - and above all - following the leadership of teachers with disabilities.
Photo credits: VSO