E ch year, precisely on October 5, the global community commemorates World Teachers’ Day. It’s a day set aside to recognize the critical importance of reaffirming the value of the teaching mission, hence the compelling need to safeguard its future.
In view of the unavoidable impact of teachers on any society, in 1994, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reached a unanimous resolution that October 5 of every year should be observed by all the UN Member States as World Teachers’ Day.
The annual World Teachers’ Day, which is aimed at mobilizing support for teachers as well as ensuring the needs of future generations would continue to be met by teachers, was first commemorated in the year 1994.
According to UNESCO, World Teachers’ Day represents a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and global development.
On its part, Education International (EI), which is the global union federation that represents education professionals worldwide, strongly solicits that World Teachers’ Day ought to be internationally recognized and celebrated around the world.
No doubt, every right thinking person eagerly wishes to know what he/she does not, or is yet to, know. Such attribute can be referred to as man’s quest for knowledge. In the same vein, for anyone to acquire any form of knowledge, he must be taught by someone or something.
In a situation whereby the knowledge recipient is being taught by a non-human such as book, internet, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or as the case may be, it is worthy to note that that material or avenue through which they acquired the knowledge was invented by someone or a human. In other words, teaching cannot be possible without the effort of a person.
Someone who imparts knowledge to other person(s), directly or indirectly, is generally referred to as a teacher. In a concise term, a teacher is someone who teaches others better ways of doing something or a better way of living.
He can also be described as someone who helps or contributes meaningfully in the uplift of someone else’s educational status or level. Hence, teaching is simply the act of impacting knowledge.
On the other hand, education, in a general sense, is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to another.
Sure, anyone can be identified as a teacher, considering the relationship that exists between the persons involved. It would equally interest us to acknowledge that, there are those or group of persons who embrace teaching as a profession; this set of people could be regarded as institutional teachers. The latter are the people the World Teachers’ Day is targeted to celebrate.
The institutional teachers are the ones that are often recognized as ‘teachers’ owing to the fact that they are the only persons that bring out their time, energy, resources, and what have you, to the fullness, to ensure knowledge is fully and duly obtained by its seekers.
Among all, anyone who practises teaching or who takes teaching as a profession, must had passed through a certain professional training in a higher citadel of learning, particularly an education institute.
In most nations, it is disheartening to note that this set of people known as teachers, who had contributed immensely and relentlessly to the socio-economic development of the nation, are treated poorly as regards payment of salaries, among other incentives.
It’s even more pathetic and disgusting to acknowledge that in some quarters these persons, who are meant to be the leading professionals, are regarded as second class citizens.
If the truth must be told, then we all must agree that it’s only an insane man that’s yet to comprehend teachers are the building block of any nation or society. Needless to say; they remain the rudiments or foundation on which any nation is built.
So, when realized that same set of individuals are invariably relegated to the background by the concerned authorities, it becomes a thing of worry to anyone who truly means well for his country, or immediate society. As we join the rest of the world to commemorate the World Teachers’ Day, the civil society coupled with other stakeholders are expected to encourage the teaching profession by ensuring the following conditions are met by any employer of labour:
*Good and enticing employment conditions, including appropriate contracts, salaries, and prospects for career progression and promotion.
*Conducive and charming work environment.
*High quality pre- and in-service training.
*Effective management to include a teacher’s recruitment and deployment.
The international community and various governments need to stand firm and united to support teachers as well as quality learning worldwide, especially in those countries like Nigeria where the highest number of out-of-school children exists.
In this regard, they are meant to acknowledge that an educational system is only as good as its teachers. The various existing teachers’ unions are also expected to support their respective governments in the area of maintenance of sanity in our schools.
By so doing, anomalies to include mediocrity, laxity, apathy, truancy, and other nonchalant attitudes found among most present days’ teachers would be totally eradicated, or a thing of the past.
The above measure, if properly implemented in Nigeria, would enable every teacher in the country to proudly identify him/herself as a ‘teacher’ regardless of the circumstance, which would definitely help to uplift the country’s educational standard.
Each year, precisely on October 5, the global community commemorates World Teachers’ Day. It’s a day set aside to recognize the critical importance of reaffirming the value of the teaching mission, hence the compelling need to safeguard its future. In view of the unavoidable impact of teachers on any society, in 1994, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reached a unanimous resolution that October 5 of every year should be observed by all the UN Member States as World Teachers’ Day.
The annual World Teachers’ Day, which is aimed at mobilizing support for teachers as well as ensuring the needs of future generations would continue to be met by teachers, was first commemorated in the year 1994.
According to UNESCO, World Teachers’ Day represents a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and global development.
On its part, Education International (EI), which is the global union federation that represents education professionals worldwide, strongly solicits that World Teachers’ Day ought to be internationally recognized and celebrated around the world.
No doubt, every right thinking person eagerly wishes to know what he/she does not, or is yet to, know. Such attribute can be referred to as man’s quest for knowledge. In the same vein, for anyone to acquire any form of knowledge, he must be taught by someone or something.
In a situation whereby the knowledge recipient is being taught by a non-human such as book, internet, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or as the case may be, it is worthy to note that that material or avenue through which they acquired the knowledge was invented by someone or a human. In other words, teaching cannot be possible without the effort of a person.
Someone who imparts knowledge to other person(s), directly or indirectly, is generally referred to as a teacher. In a concise term, a teacher is someone who teaches others better ways of doing something or a better way of living.
He can also be described as someone who helps or contributes meaningfully in the uplift of someone else’s educational status or level. Hence, teaching is simply the act of impacting knowledge.
On the other hand, education, in a general sense, is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to another.
Sure, anyone can be identified as a teacher, considering the relationship that exists between the persons involved. It would equally interest us to acknowledge that, there are those or group of persons who embrace teaching as a profession; this set of people could be regarded as institutional teachers. The latter are the people the World Teachers’ Day is targeted to celebrate.
The institutional teachers are the ones that are often recognized as ‘teachers’ owing to the fact that they are the only persons that bring out their time, energy, resources, and what have you, to the fullness, to ensure knowledge is fully and duly obtained by its seekers.
Among all, anyone who practises teaching or who takes teaching as a profession, must had passed through a certain professional training in a higher citadel of learning, particularly an education institute.
In most nations, it is disheartening to note that this set of people known as teachers, who had contributed immensely and relentlessly to the socio-economic development of the nation, are treated poorly as regards payment of salaries, among other incentives.
It’s even more pathetic and disgusting to acknowledge that in some quarters these persons, who are meant to be the leading professionals, are regarded as second class citizens.
If the truth must be told, then we all must agree that it’s only an insane man that’s yet to comprehend teachers are the building block of any nation or society. Needless to say; they remain the rudiments or foundation on which any nation is built.
So, when realized that same set of individuals are invariably relegated to the background by the concerned authorities, it becomes a thing of worry to anyone who truly means well for his country, or immediate society.
As we join the rest of the world to commemorate the World Teachers’ Day, the civil society coupled with other stakeholders are expected to encourage the teaching profession by ensuring the following conditions are met by any employer of labour:
*Good and enticing employment conditions, including appropriate contracts, salaries, and prospects for career progression and promotion.
*Conducive and charming work environment.
*High quality pre- and in-service training.
*Effective management to include a teacher’s recruitment and deployment.
The international community and various governments need to stand firm and united to support teachers as well as quality learning worldwide, especially in those countries like Nigeria where the highest number of out-of-school children exists.
In this regard, they are meant to acknowledge that an educational system is only as good as its teachers. The various existing teachers’ unions are also expected to support their respective governments in the area of maintenance of sanity in our schools.
By so doing, anomalies to include mediocrity, laxity, apathy, truancy, and other nonchalant attitudes found among most present days’ teachers would be totally eradicated, or a thing of the past.
The above measure, if properly implemented in Nigeria, would enable every teacher in the country to proudly identify him/herself as a ‘teacher’ regardless of the circumstance, which would definitely help to uplift the country’s educational standard.
Thus, we are expected to support this remarkable crusade with utmost passion. We can individually or collectively do so by making the people around us understand the inevitable roles of a trained teacher in every existing society.
Time has really come for us as a people to comprehend fully that all teachers truly deserve a reward here on earth by jettisoning the ongoing mantra that says “A teacher’s reward is in heaven”.
It is unarguable that every teacher must receive their full reward when they get to heaven, but it’s equally imperative for us to acknowledge that such reward begins on earth while they are still serving. Think about it!
Thus, we are expected to support this remarkable crusade with utmost passion. We can individually or collectively do so by making the people around us understand the inevitable roles of a trained teacher in every existing society.
Time has really come for us as a people to comprehend fully that all teachers truly deserve a reward here on earth by jettisoning the ongoing mantra that says “A teacher’s reward is in heaven”.
It is unarguable that every teacher must receive their full reward when they get to heaven, but it’s equally imperative for us to acknowledge that such reward begins on earth while they are still serving. Think about it!
