Enhancing the Status and Professionalism of Teachers in the Digital Age:

UNESCO’s Perspective

Presented at the

VIII International Seminar of the UNESCO Chair in E-Learning: Reconsidering Teachers’ Roles

by Edem Adubra

Chief of Section: Teacher Policy and Development – UNESCO, Paris

e.adubra@unesco.org

A growing recognition of the important role of teachers

Teachers are a priority in the framework of EFA and MDG implementation

At global level:Major education and development fora underscore the central role of teachers for quality education- 2000 World Education Forum in Dakar- EFA High Level Group Meetings (creation of International Task Force on Teachers for EFA)- World Summit on the Information Society (2003, 2005)- World Conferences on Education (ICE, DESD, CONFINTEA, WCHE, ECCE) - 2010 MDG Summit - ECOSOC Regional Ministerial Review Meetings, etc.

Why New Roles for Teachers?

• New profile of learners

• New ways of learning: from a single dispenser to multiple sources

• Emerging knowledge needs and required competencies

• Multiple expectations on teachers, teaching and education: values and skills

• Continuous professional development as a   « must»

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TEACHERS AS A PRIORITY FOR UNESCO

In fulfilling its mission, UNESCO will carry out for the international community five established functions:i) laboratory of ideas, including foresight;ii) standard-setter;iii) clearing house;iv) capacity-builder in Member States in UNESCO’s fields of competence;v) catalyst for international cooperationes

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Policy Development & Standard Setting

Recommendations concerning the Status of Teaching Personnel :• 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of

Teaching Personnel• 1997 UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher

Education Teaching Personnel

Monitoring of the Recommendations:The Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendations concerning Teachers (CEART)

Capacity development

i. ICT in Teacher Educationa. Assistance with the development and adaptation online tools and resources, with a focus on OERs and guidelines for effective use of ICT in teacher education

ii. Curriculum development: teacher education curriculum alignment with school curriculum (post-graduate diploma)

iii. ESD mainstreaming in teacher education (environment, climate change, human rights, HIV, cultural diversity)

iv. Teacher policy and capacity development in post-disaster and post-conflict context as Haiti, Palestine, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Lao PDR , etc.

v. Education Management Information System (EMIS), Teacher Qualification Frameworks, Certification

Advocacy and partnerships

i. Work with ILO, UNDP, UNICEF and Education International for World Teachers’ Day (2011 theme: “Teachers for gender equality)

ii. Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth of Learning, Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) working groups, OECD, League of Arab States

iii. Bilateral and multilateral public partnership

iv. Private partnerships: Microsoft, Intel, GEMS, Hewlett Packard

Implementation modality

I. Teachers are in the Division of Planning and Development of Education Systems for better articulation with education sector planning

II. Global coordination/leadership ensured by the Section of teacher policies and development , liaising with other Education HQ units

III. Teacher focal points in Regional Bureaus coordinate and provide backstopping to Field offices

IV. Technical expertise from institutes:

• UIS on data and information

• IICBA for capacity building with a focus on education personnel and ICT ODL, as well as backstopping TTISSA

• IITE on ICT in teacher education

• IBE on curriculum innovation

• (To be reinforced: work on NFE teachers with UIL and TVET with UNEVOC)

V. Intersectorality promoted with close work with CI, Science, Culture and SHS;

VI. Gender in teacher policy and programmes aligned with UNESCO Gender equality Plan of Action

Examples of recentPartnerships on ICT

• UNESCO and Varkey GEMS Foundation launch principals’ training programme that will impact 10 million children

• UNESCO and Nokia sign partnership to use mobile technologies to further goals of Education For All

• Launch of US$12 million project for ICTs in West African universities

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An integrated approach to CPD: from EdusummIT 2011

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n modalityI. Teachers are in the Division of Planning and Development of Education Systems for

better articulation with education sector planning

II. Global coordination/leadership ensured by the Section of teacher policies and development , liaising with other Education HQ units

III. Teacher focal points in Regional Bureaus coordinate and provide backstopping to Field offices

IV. Technical expertise from institutes:

• UIS on data and information

• IICBA for capacity building with a focus on education personnel and ICT ODL, as well as backstopping TTISSA

• IITE on ICT in teacher education

• IBE on curriculum innovation

• (To be reinforced: work on NFE teachers with UIL and TVET with UNEVOC)

V. Intersectorality promoted with close work with CI, Science, Culture and SHS;

VI. Gender in teacher policy and programmes aligned with UNESCO Gender equality Plan of Action

What Implications for Support to Teacher Professional Development?

• Involve teachers and learners in decisions on innovative practices

• Reinforce networks of professionals

• Promote dialogue between policy-makers and practitioners

• Ensure more collaboration among poles of expertise: Important role of UNESCO Chairs

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UNESCO International Experts’ Workshop“Redesigning Institutional Policies and Practices To

Enhance the Quality of Education through Innovative Use of Digital Technologies”

(14-16 June 2011, Sofia, Bulgaria)

Around 50 participants (education policy and decision-makers, teachers, ICT researchers and practitioners, teacher professional organizations) met:

o to identify innovative institutional policies and strategies that define 21st century education systems;

o to propose model strategies for addressing the needs of all learners by mainstreaming 21st century pedagogies and technologies;

o to develop recommendations on collaborative/networking actions at

regional/global level

THANK YOU

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