World Teachers' Day
World Teachers' Day is both a day of appreciation—reminding people of the value of teachers—and of awareness.
World Teachers' Day is both a day of appreciation—reminding people of the value of teachers—and of awareness.
Origin
World Teachers’ Day has been celebrated annually since 1994.
The October 5 date commemorates the anniversary of the 1966 conference on the status of teachers held by the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International Labor Organization (ILO). The UNESCO/ILO 1966 conference established education as a human right, teaching as a profession requiring specialized skills and provided a series of recommendations to support teachers, students and the pursuit of education.
World Teachers’ Day is a project of UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and Education International (EI). The holiday is both a day of appreciation—reminding people of the value of teachers—and of awareness. There are many challenges facing education and educators globally. World Teachers’ Day is a day to spread awareness of those issues and develop solutions.
Each World Teachers’ Day has a theme set by UNESCO. In 2022, the theme was “the transformation of education begins with teachers.”
Traditions
World Teachers’ Day is typically celebrated by non-profits focused on education. Educators and those involved in educational leadership may gather to discuss the ongoing challenges facing their profession. UNESCO and its partners, specifically, hold conferences on this day, bringing together educators from around the globe to talk about the issues they face and hand out awards to star educators.
What to say
There is no traditional greeting for World Teachers’ Day. If you’d like to participate as an individual, see how you can get involved in supporting the long-term goals of educators in your area.