World Teachers’ Day 2020 was a landmark for the teaching profession, with over 500,000 educators coming together on October 5th for Education International’s 24-hour webcast spanning the globe.
More than a celebration, a day of global mobilisation
2020 has been a difficult year, with unprecedented challenges for teachers and education everywhere. While the pandemic exposed the fundamental issues and inequalities in our societies, it also showcased the leadership and commitment of educators to continue supporting their students and communities through these difficult times. In this exceptional context, World Teachers’ Day 2020 went beyond celebrating teachers and became a day of global mobilisation and solidarity across the education community.
500,000 attend Education International online event
The 24-hour online event hosted by Education International provided a space for the teaching profession to come together across borders, celebrate their achievements, mobilise and take the lead to effect change in their classrooms, communities and around the world. Over 500,000 educators responded to the call and tuned in for the online event.
The webcast featured the stories of teachers from a variety of countries and contexts and their experience teaching and supporting their students through a global pandemic. An international cast of speakers– presidents, prime ministers, education leaders, scientists and artists - joined teachers to discuss the key learnings from COVID-19and how to address the fundamental issues the pandemic made painfully clear.
The full 24-hour event is available online.
Educators rising to the challenge
David Edwards, Education International’s General Secretary, stated: “The world needs the leadership of educators. The pandemic has highlighted critical issues in our education systems and in our societies that must be addressed without delay. Going back to how things were before is not an option, we need to do better.
“Leadership and solidarity are the only way to overcome these challenges. The Education International World Teachers’ Day event showed that teachers everywhere are ready to stand together as a profession and take the lead to effect real change.”