
By Ayomikun Oluwatimileyin Inawole
October 5th is designated as World Teachers’ Day every year. Given that this Saturday falls in 2024, make sure to give your child’s teacher a heartfelt thank you on Monday when classes resume!
It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions.
The theme of the 2024 World teachers’ day is “Valuing teacher voices: Towards a new social contract for education.” This year’s celebration emphasizes the pivotal role that teachers play in shaping the future of education and the urgent need to incorporate their perspectives into educational policy and decision-making processes. It is vital to recognize that teachers are not just facilitators of learning but also key architects of the educational landscape. Their insights and experiences are indispensable in crafting policies that reflect the realities of the classroom; they are not only the transmitters of knowledge but also the architects of an equitable, responsive, and inclusive educational system. We must amplify teacher voices, integrate their insights into policy-making, and build systems that respect their expertise and lived experiences. The new social contract calls for a collaborative approach, where teachers are not just participants but key decision-makers in the evolution of education.
In memorializing the Day, I interacted with Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Olalekan a teacher of kwara state teaching service commission who teaches at Olunlade senior secondary school. He said “Of course there are a lot of challenges that we teachers are facing firstly, we are underpaid for instance the issue of minimum wage that the federal government implemented we have not gotten it here in Kwara state and as you can see in the school environment we are lacking buildings ,the learning is not conducive”.
The principal of Omolola Secondary school Olunlade Ilorin, Mr. Oluwaseun Adeyemi also spoke while emphasizing the importance of teachers in the society and imploring the government to take care of its educators. “Without the teachers there will be nobody, there will be no doctors, no lawyers even politicians and government are noting! without being taught at the primary, secondary schools so I think the teachers should be taken care of more in the society, I will appeal to the government that the school teachers should not be left out they should try and provide for the teacher because without them the society would not function. I believe teachers are the most important, so I appeal to the government to make an improvement in monetary and welfare aspects, they should make a joint effort both private and public school should come together to set a measure that will benefit both private and public school teachers especially in private school looking at the economy in the country some teachers are even getting 10,000 as salary. So the government should come together to increase the overall welfare of the teachers”.
This year’s World Teachers’ Day theme, “Valuing Teacher Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education, “it becomes evident that the future of education lies in recognizing the indispensable role of teachers, It also serves as a powerful reminder that teachers are not just implementers of educational policy but key architects of the learning environment. Their insights, drawn from the frontlines of teaching, are essential in crafting policies that are not only effective but also sustainable and equitable. As we move toward a more inclusive and future-ready education system, it is crucial that teachers’ voices are heard, respected, and integrated at every level of decision-making and also to listen, act, and collaborate with teachers in building the education systems of tomorrow. By doing so, we acknowledge their indispensable role and empower them to continue shaping a better, more just educational landscape for future generations.
Ayomikun Oluwatimileyin Inawole is a 400 Level Mass Communication Student, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete.