Putting teachers first is answer to learning crisis | WPN World People News

The global learning crisis is costing governments worldwide over $129 billion a year and excluding millions of children from education. Giving support to teachers is key in order to overcome this, according to the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) of 2014.

With only one year to go before the deadline of the Millennium Development Goals, the widespread consensus is that they will not be achieved in time. This includes universal access to primary education, and puts the world in what has been labelled as a ‘global learning crisis’.

A global learning crisis

More than 57 million children are out of school. In the most disadvantaged countries, it will take over half-a-century before the last girl receives primary education. Moreover, despite worldwide progress in getting more girls and boys into school, too often quality lags behind and many are not learning what they need. Minorities and disabled children are certainly the hardest hit.

These are the main concerns of policy makers in the run-up to 2015, when the new development goals will be decided. However, the measures to be adopted remain unclear. Education International has joined UNESCO in presenting its 2014 Global Monitoring Report, to make sure that teachers are at the forefront of the solution.

EI: put teachers first

According to the report, teachers are key for the improvement of any education system. Teachers have to be trained, allocated to where they are most needed, and retained. This would help overcome the disparities between and within countries and foster the development of their economies. UNESCO’s conclusion is in line with EI’s desire to engage teachers in policy making. Education International has asked policy makers to engage more closely with teachers. “The answer lies in professionalization, this is the key message”, expert said. “Put teachers in the heart of the post-2015 agenda”.

Source: Education International