Overview of the measures supporting the rights, status and working conditions of the teaching profession reported on by Member States.

In many countries, the quality of education is undermined by a severe deficit of teachers. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics estimates that to achieve universal primary education by 2020 countries will need to recruit a total of 12.6 million primary teachers. By 2030, the total demand for teachers would rise to 27.3 million. The shortage of qualified teachers is hampering efforts in many countries to achieve good quality education for all. Furthermore, there is also a qualitative challenge: teachers are often lacking good resources, such as teaching materials and textbooks, or proper training. The quality of teaching is essential to good learning outcomes. This implies an education system that attracts and retains a qualified teaching staff and that supports teachers in the classroom, as well as in their continued professional development.

Year of publication: 
2015
Author(s): 
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO
Resource type: 
Keywords: