Teachers – who are well-trained, supported and motivated – are central to ensuring that every child receives a quality education. But 1.7 million more teachers are needed worldwide to ensure every child can receive a primary education.
A new briefing from the Global Campaign for Education UK, Every child needs a teacher: closing the gap, states that global efforts must focus on tackling the shortage of qualified teachers, and on reaching the most marginalised children.
A recent event – hosted by Mark Williams MP and the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Global Education for All on Tuesday 9th July – celebrated the 2013 Send My Friend to School campaign on the theme of Every Child Needs a Teacher, and highlighted the worldwide shortage of trained teachers to UK politicians.
Speaking at the event, Sam and Millie – the campaign’s Young Ambassadors – called for continued momentum to secure education for all, and argued that training more teachers must be a top priority. Dr. Edem Adubra, Head of the Secretariat at UNESCO and Marg Mayne, Chief Executive of Voluntary Service Overseas, also gave important insights into the issue.
Global Campaign for Education UK’s briefing calls on the UK government to continue and build on its efforts to meet global education goals. It recommends that the UK government uses its global influence to address the teacher shortage, support high quality teacher training, and invest in female teachers. It also calls for efforts to ensure that there are good teachers in the most disadvantaged areas, and to equip all teachers with the skills needed to work with all children, including those with disabilities.
To read more about how Sam and Millie have been representing the campaign, see their blog here.
Send My Friend to School brings together thousands of children across the UK to speak up for the right to education.