This blog was authored by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) and UNESCO in the framework of the Teacher Task Force #TeachersMissing advocacy campaign to promote the pivotal role that teachers play in shaping the future of education.
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Please see the 2024 Fact Sheet on tracking progress of teachers and Target 4.c of the SDGs.
Read the background paper Valuing Teacher Voices: Towards a new social contract for education.
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Ensuring that educators have a voice in decisions that affect their lives and their ability to teach will improve both their job satisfaction and the overall appeal of the profession. This, in turn, will make teaching a more attractive career option, helping to retain existing teachers, attract new talent to the field, and address the global teacher shortage. By empowering teachers to contribute to decision-making and policy-making, we can strengthen the profession and build a new social contract for education.
As part of World Teachers’ Day 2024, the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) and UNESCO have released a background paper that unpacks the substance of previous instruments – such as the ILO/UNESCO 1966 Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers and the recently published recommendations of the United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, both of which include principles, rights and guidelines on promoting and valuing teacher voices at all levels of education.
What is meant by ‘teacher voices’?
Teacher voices can be defined in various ways, but in this context, it includes teachers' capacity to express their professional opinions, intellectual views and insights and expertise in curriculum design, pedagogical choices, assessment, classroom management, school policies and broader educational reforms.
In the context of Education 2030 and achieving SDG4 and the Target 4.c on teachers, recognising and empowering teacher voices is seen as crucial for creating effective, responsive and equitable educational systems supported by teachers who are empowered, adequately recruited, well-trained, professionally qualified, motivated and supported within well-resourced efficient and effectively governed systems (UNESCO, 2016).
As outlined in the paper, teacher voices should also emerge through social dialogue which provides a platform for teachers, education authorities and policy-makers to exchange ideas and collaboratively address challenges.
Teacher unions can play a leading role in advocating for the rights, interests and well-being of educators by shaping the direction and development of education systems through consultation, negotiation and collective bargaining.
Elevating teacher voices can shape a new social contract for education
While teachers constantly make choices in the classroom, education systems too often fail to seek their input on such decisions at school, district and national levels. Neither are teachers regularly consulted on issues concerning their working conditions or the factors shaping their profession.
Broadly, teacher voices can, however, play a major role in aligning systems with a new social contract for education that frames teaching as a collaborative, innovative and intellectual career. In this vision, research, reflection and knowledge production become integral parts of the teaching profession while all stakeholders – to include teachers, unions, civil society and government officials – work collectively to engage in dialogue and develop a path forward together.
Incorporating teacher voices into education decision-making processes can also help raise the attractiveness of a profession that seems to be losing its appeal globally. Recent projections from the Global Report on Teachers, published by UNESCO and the Teacher task Force, estimate that the world will need an additional 44 million teachers to reach universal primary and secondary education by 2030, with nearly 6 in 10 of those openings due to attrition.
To address this alarming trend, various reforms and strategies aimed at amplifying the voice of teachers play a key role not only through the process of reform, but also to ensure teachers’ ownership and buy-in.
Improving teacher wages and working conditions through social dialogue
Concerns around wages and working conditions are key factors that can lower the appeal of a teaching career, while ongoing negotiations via social dialogue can be vital to achieving common objectives thus raising the profession’s prestige.
In Chile, for example, Ministry officials and union representatives dialogued and negotiated throughout the development of a new teacher policy in 2016 before jointly signing a final text for restructuring training, enhancing recruitment and revamping pay scales.
On the other hand, social dialogue can also ease tensions and reduce the risks of strikes when disagreements emerge. In Morocco, teacher working conditions and the status of contract teachers were improved in 2019 thanks to collective bargaining.
Teachers should be recognised as key stakeholders in shaping professional practice
Teacher voices also play a crucial role in issues distinct to professional practice, such as decisions on curricula, pedagogy and assessment. When teachers have a seat at the table as decisions and policies are developed, the process can also promote democratic involvement ensuring better buy-in and commitment by teachers.
For example, the Ministry of Education in Ghana worked directly with unions and teachers in reforming teacher education policy, leading to consensus-building and smooth implementation.
Likewise, teacher unions in Scotland actively engaged with planners on developing curricula and designing policies around teacher education in a process of ‘co-construction’.
Meanwhile, Ecuador has worked to develop teachers into agents of change by establishing large-scale social dialogue efforts while developing their new education plan for 2025-2040.
Harnessing social media and community feedback to strengthen teacher representation
Teacher voices can also be amplified through social media or by engaging with local communities.
The Stylos Rouges movement in France, which does not align with any unions or political parties, emerged in 2018 to help publicly vocalise French teachers’ concerns.
In Minnesota (United States), local teacher unions developed an online survey and held public meetings to determine what community members thought should be included in teacher contracts. Union representatives used this feedback to initiate collective bargaining based on a list of demands, such as smaller class sizes and high-quality professional development.
Unequal access to teacher rights across the globe
Numerous challenges can undermine teachers’ voices, including a lack of legally-gained rights. This includes the Right of Freedom of Association as set out in ILO Convention No. 87 (ILO, 1948) and the Right to Collective Bargaining in ILO Convention No. 98, (ILO, 1949).
New data show that only 48 and 55 per cent of primary and secondary teachers, globally, are covered by these international labour conventions meaning that only about one in two teachers around the world ‘have a voice’ within their profession based on these internationally-recognised labour conventions to these fundamental rights.
Of union representatives across 121 countries that were recently surveyed by Education International, 29 per cent identified legal obstacles to the right of assembly and demonstration, 18 per cent to the right to establish and join unions and professional organisations, and 25 per cent to the right to collective bargaining (Arnold & Rahimi, forthcoming).
Obstacles between teachers and decision-makers
Beyond legal barriers, almost half of teacher union representatives in the same study by Education International also encountered practical obstacles that impeded their access to these same rights, while 57 per cent cited practical obstacles hindering the right to strike.
Representatives from Africa, Asia and Pacific and Latin America reported significantly more barriers than those from Europe, the Caribbean and North America (Arnold & Rahimi, forthcoming).
Challenges can also stem from unclear messaging or ineffective platforms for communication between teachers and decision makers. Teachers and their representatives in rural provinces of India lack internet connectivity and have struggled to communicate with national leadership and access pertinent information.
In France, a survey of teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic found that while 98 per cent of respondents said they could freely join a union, only 14 per cent felt they had the ability to influence decisions affecting student learning.
Addressing the struggles of female teachers and marginalized groups
In various contexts, women, teachers with disabilities, those working in crisis settings, or teachers working with minority groups may struggle to effectively voice challenges they face.
For example, while teaching is a largely feminised profession in many countries, their proportional representation in teacher unions, especially in leadership positions, is rare with too few women.
Tools and strategies to further develop and enhance teacher voices
Many promising practices have emerged that promote and enhance the incorporation of teacher voices into everyday practice.
For instance, Uganda and Zambia have codified procedures for managing dialogue by publishing social dialogue frameworks for teachers. These guides provide tangible activities for implementing dialogue as well as costing plans and evaluation strategies.
Tools are also available to build the capacity of union leaders. Education International has developed general guidance for union leaders in developing action strategies, as well as technical guidance on formulating cases and submitting complaints. In Indonesia meanwhile, a union has developed their own online app which provides teachers with a direct means to request support from unions.
Recommendations for moving forward
To raise the esteem of teaching and tap into teachers’ immense expertise, there needs to be a cultural shift in systems that acknowledges and promotes the importance of teacher voices. To do this, countries should ratify international conventions that foster social dialogue, in particular ILO conventions No. 87 and No. 98.
However, they also need to ensure this is followed by political will, and that teachers and their representatives are trained to engage in consultation, negotiation and collective bargaining. New vehicles can also be supported and developed, including through social media, digital tools and by welcoming the roles of other actors that can further amplify teachers’ perspectives.
No matter the steps taken, systems need to patiently invest time and resources dedicated to teacher voices and social dialogue to ensure the ongoing prestige and strength of the teaching profession. This investment is also crucial for addressing global teacher shortages, as empowering teachers through meaningful dialogue can help attract and retain more individuals to the profession. Only then can teaching aspire to become the collaborative, innovative, and attractive career envisioned by the new social contract for education.