Teacher Task Force to take stock of progress on teacher education at Jamaica forum
Paris: The International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, will take stock of progress in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Goals on education from the perspective of the teaching profession during its annual meeting and Policy Dialogue Forum in Jamaica from 5 to 9 November. The Forum will focus on strengthening teacher education as a prerequisite for quality education for learners.
UNESCO, which hosts the Secretariat of the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 and supports its work, advocates better training for teachers to ensure improve education. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), six out of ten children and adolescent worldwide, i.e. 617 million, are unable to achieve minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. Yet, most of these children are in school, a fact that underscores the pressing need to improve the quality of education.
Whereas UIS figures for the school ending in 2017 show that 85% of primary education teachers in the world have received pedagogical training, regional differences are significant: In Sub-Saharan Africa, only 64% of primary teachers are trained and in Southern Asia, 71% of teachers are qualified.
Remedying this situation and achieving the United Nation’ Sustainable Goal on Education (SDG4), requires resources and dialogue between policy-makers, practitioners and civil society.
Such is the purpose of the meeting, which will allow for the exchange of views, experiences and best practices among its over 300 participants: policy-makers, practitioners and researchers from ministries of education, institutions and academe, alongside representatives of non-governmental, intergovernmental and professional organizations, as well as private foundations.
The meeting will also include a Ministerial Panel (6 November) with the participation of education ministers from each of the five UNESCO regions:
Latin America and the Caribbean: Ruel B. Reid, Minister of Education, Youth and Information (Jamaica),
Africa: Octave Nicoué Broohm, Minister of Higher Education and Research (Togo),
Asia: Sengdeuane Lachanthaboune, Minister of Education and Sports (Lao People’s Democratic Republic)
Europe and North America : Mailis Reps, Minister of Education and Research (Estonia)
The Ministerial Panel will be followed by a press conference at the Convention Centre.
The International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 is a multi-stakeholder partnership of whose 130 members include 85 governments, intergovernmental organizations at global, regional or sub-regional levels, and UN agencies, international NGOs, civil society organizations, global teachers organizations, bilateral and multilateral international development agencies and global private sector organizations and foundations.