President Jacob Zuma has today, 05 October 2016, sent his good wishes to all teachers in South Africa as we celebrate the World Teachers Day today.

Under the theme: “Valuing Teachers, Improving their Status,” this year’s World Teachers’ Day also marks the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. It is also the first World Teachers’ Day (WTD) to be celebrated within the new Global Education 2030 Agenda adopted by the world community one year ago.

At the dawn of freedom and democracy in 1994, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO proclaimed 5 October to be World Teachers’ Day in 1994, celebrating the great step made for teachers on 5 October 1966, when UNESCO, in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted the Recommendation setting forth the rights and responsibilities of teachers as well as international standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, teaching and learning conditions.

Since its adoption, the Recommendation has been considered an important set of guidelines to promote teachers’ status in the interest of quality education.

“Teachers are an important backbone of our education system and are therefore the architects of the economic prosperity that we so desire. On this special World Teachers Day, and on behalf of government, we wish all our teachers a happy productive World Teachers Day. May they continue to educate and grow our nation,” said President Zuma.

 

Issued by the Presidency