JOINT FORUM AND MEDIA SENSITISATION MEETING “UNITE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION: BETTER EDUCATION FOR A BETTER WORLD”
JOINT FORUM AND MEDIA SENSITISATION MEETING “UNITE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION: BETTER EDUCATION FOR A BETTER WORLD”
JOINT FORUM AND MEDIA SENSITISATION MEETING
“UNITE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION: BETTER EDUCATION FOR A BETTER WORLD”
5 September 2014
New Delhi, India
5 September, 2014 marked the National Teachers’ Day in India. UNESCO New Delhi celebrated this occasion by attending and presenting at a joint forum organized by the representatives of three teachers’ organization, the All India Federation of Teachers Organizations (AIFTO), All India Primary Teachers’ Federation (AIPTF) and All India Secondary Teachers’ Federation (AISTF) as the members of the Education International (El). The event brought together teacher unions, UN agencies, government representatives, noted educationists, and civil society organizations (CSOs) to discuss the issues particular to quality education in India.
The forum discussed many concerns of teachers in the world and India particularly by the representatives from the three Teachers’ Federations, who made aware of the urgent need to improve the quality of teachers in order to raise the learning achievement of students with the focus on:
De-professionalization due to privatization and commercialization;
Shortage of qualified and trained teachers;
Recruitment of teachers on contractual basis;
Teacher-pupil ratio with poor working conditions;
Lack of teaching and learning environment and tools; and
Insufficient allocation of budget for education.
Mr. Alisher Umarov, Chief of Education, UNESCO New Delhi, delivered presentation on the UNESCO’s work for Post 2015 Education Agenda. UNESCO recommends to its Member States the following overarching education goal for Post 2015 Development Agenda: “Ensure equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030”, aiming to achieve just, inclusive, peaceful and sustainable societies. Under this goal one of the targets focused on teachers: all governments should ensure by 2030 that all learners are taught by qualified, professionally-trained, motivated and well-supported teachers. His presentation illuminated many of the challenges that the teachers’ unions expressed in regard to the current situation in India and their aspirations towards Post 2015.
The forum was a part of a global campaign called “Unite for Quality Education – Better Education for a Better World” launched by the Education International across 170 countries that advocates for ensuring that universal, free quality education remain priority in the political agenda for the sustainable future. This campaign will arrive to New York for the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly on 24 September, 2014, with bringing not only these messages of the campaign and of EI, but also the messages of millions of teachers worldwide to let UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon know the reality of education on the ground, and of its importance on the future global agenda.
This forum happened in the framework of the joint the UN India Task Team on Education (UNESCO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and ILO) and partners’ advocacy campaign for the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI), launched by the United Nations Secretary-General.