The quality of any education system relies on the quality of the teachers. That’s according to Montserrat Gomendio, Deputy Director General for Education with the OECD, who addressed EI’s 7th World Congress on 24 July.
The quality of teachers “is the single most important factor influencing student performance,” she said. “Thus, ensuring high quality teachers, who are satisfied with their jobs, and work in stimulating and supportive environments, must be a priority of all education systems.”
Solving global problems
The need for quality teachers was also highlighted by Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailish Satyarthi, the founder of the Global March Against Child Labour. “The world is at a crossroads facing many problems such as terrorism, global warming and climate change, poverty, and inequalities,” he said in a video message to Congress on 25 July. “None of these problems will be solved without quality education and quality education needs quality teachers.”
Satyarthi also called on teachers to join him in a campaign to get 100 million children to speak on behalf of another 100 million children who are deprived of education and other basic rights.
SDG4
Quality in education and teaching is also core to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), according to Amina Mohammed, who is the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning. She addressed the conference by video message on 25 July. Quality education is the single best investment in order to produce a just, prosperous and equitable society, she said, adding that SDG4 “will allow us to achieve a life of dignity for all”.
Photo Credit: Francois Beauregard