A union led day of celebration, recognition and action
World Teachers’ Day has its origins in union led action promoting the teaching profession.
While the event has become a community wide day of recognition involving multiple stakeholders and supporting organisations, it’s important to note the union story and history that underpins the event.
Mission of World Teachers’ Day
The aims of World Teachers Day include:
- promoting teachers’ rights, dignity, and decision-making role, including improving working conditions, professional development and support
- raising awareness of other challenges faced by teachers, including inadequate funding and resources
- highlighting teachers’ role in supporting the universal right to education and development of student’s potential
- promoting international cooperation and partnerships in education including to achieve sustainable development goals
World Teachers’ Day: International origins and foundation
World Teachers’ Day was established by UNESCO in 1994 to commemorate the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of Teachers.
World Teachers’ Day is now co-convened in partnership with the International Labour Organization, UNICEF and Education International and is held globally on 5th October each year. Unfortunately, the international day falls in the October school holidays in Australia, so our day is held instead on the last Friday of October each year.
Education International (EI) is the global body representing teacher unions. The IEU, along with the AEU and NTEU are active members of EI.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) recommendations sets out the rights and responsibilities of teachers, standards for initial preparation, further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions.
The collective voice of teachers and our unions are the driving force behind WTD
World Teachers’ Day is an opportunity to acknowledge the critical role that trade unions have played in promoting and protecting the profession. World Teachers’ Day would not exist without the support and action from individual teacher unions, the ILO and EI.
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