Friday October 5 is World Teachers’ Day!

Join us in taking a stand for teachers around the world!

New numbers from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)  indicate that we need 1.7 million more teachers to ensure universal primary education by 2015. But it is not enough to stick an adult in front of a classroom full o f kids; to ensure that the right to education is realized by all children, we must recruit teachers who are trained, supported, paid and managed as professionals. Unfortunately 31 countries report that less than ¾ of their primary school teachers are trained.

The Global Campaign for Education has teamed up with Education International to launch a new report, Every Child Needs a Teacher: Closing the Trained Teacher Gap. This report outlines the drastic need for teachers, and a number of policy recommendations for both national and donor governments. Check out the fact sheet developed by our colleagues at GCE-US, and read the full report here.

UIS has also developed a new eAtlas of Teachers – an online tool to explore the most recent country-by-country data concerning teachers. Check it out here.

So what can you do? Send your favourite teacher an e-card to let them know how much you appreciate them!  Global Action Week 2013 will focus on the Every Child Needs a Teacher campaign. Stay tuned for more information!

If you can read this, thank a teacher!

New Education Initiatives

It’s meeting time at the UN, and friends and colleagues in the education community are using this opportunity to push for the importance of education. With only 3 years to go before the Millennium Development Goals and Education for All goals sunset, we’re working hard to come as close to success in these goals as we can, but there is still a long way to go. The race is also on to ensure that the right to education retains its place in the international framework that will replace the MDGs in 2015.

Here are some of the great initiatives being launched this week!

Education First

An initiative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, Education First aims to raise the political profile of education in order to generate additional and sufficient funding through sustained advocacy efforts. The initiative has 3 priorities: put every child in school, improve the quality of education, and foster global citizenship.

Every Child Needs a Teacher

The Global Campaign for Education is launching its new campaign to ensure that every child has a trained teacher to support their right to a quality education. To achieve this, 1.7 million more teachers will need to be recruited and trained. Read the report and find out how to participate in the campaign, which will run through Global Action Week 2013.

World Inequality Database on Education (WIDE)

The Education for All Global Monitoring Report team is launching this new, interactive website  to provide updated analysis for over 50 countries. The website will allow users to zoom in on selected countries and indicators, compare disparities across countries, and identify which groups are most disadvantaged within these countries. WIDE provides visualizations that enable the user to look beyond the averages. Great tool for educators??!!!

Education Cannot Wait: Protecting Children and Youth’s Right to a Quality Education in Humanitarian Emergencies and Conflict Situations

World leaders and members of civil society meeting at the UN this week have put out an urgent call to action for the realization of the right to education for children in conflict affected countries and humanitarian emergencies.  

Update on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 3:03PM by CGCE

UN Secretary-General announces $1.5 billion to kick off Education First Initiative!