Africa: Member organizations celebrate World Teachers’ Day

In commemoration of Word Teachers’ Day, Education International (EI) held a webinar to highlight the fundamental importance of teachers in education and emphasize the need for them to be well-trained, well-supported, and well-remunerated. This year’s celebration is under the theme, ‘The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage’.
In Burkina Faso and the Gambia, Education International (EI) Africa participated in the launch of the supplementary readers produced by teacher-writers. This is part of the book development literacy promotion programme of the Pan-African Teachers' Centre (PATC), which is the department of the EI Africa office that is responsible for the professional development of teachers and educational programmes.  
 
The books were written by teachers from Burkina Faso and the Gambia at a writing workshop organized by EI member unions under the guidance of PATC, with financial support from the Australian Education Union (AEU). Copies of the books have been printed to be used in classrooms to promote learners' reading skills. These are appropriate teaching materials, adapted to the cultural context of the learners, and conducive to quality teaching and learning. To contribute to the promotion of inclusive, quality education for all, copies of these books will be distributed free of charge to schools in disadvantaged areas. EI Africa and its member organizations are convinced that culturally appropriate texts written by teachers can help to overcome the acute shortage of teaching materials in disadvantaged schools and improve the quality of education.
 
In his remarks shared at the launch, EI Africa Director, Dr. Dennis Sinyolo, said the supplementary readers would help to improve teaching and learning in disadvantaged schools, particularly in rural communities. 
 
Emphasizing the importance of teachers in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education and the Education 2030 Agenda, Dr. Sinyolo acknowledged the key role teachers play in shaping the future. He also drew attention to Strategic Objective 1 of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) 2016-2025, which focuses on promoting and advancing the teaching profession.
 
In a heartfelt tribute to teachers around the world, Dr.  Sinyolo, calls on All African governments to meet the internationally agreed benchmarks of investing at least 6% of GDP or 20% of the national budget in education. “We urge governments to pay particular attention to the recruitment, training, and motivation of teachers”, he concluded.
 
Other member organisations celebrated the World Teachers’ Day in their respectives countries. Key among them are Benin, Kenya, Cameroon.

[Thu, 05 Oct 2023 14:24:00 +0000] | DIGG THIS


Website Development and Design by Cyblance