UNESCO guideline and teacher policy development
Prof. Quazi Faruque Ahmed
Transformation of social respectability in teaching in Bangladesh and elsewhere is not only an interesting aspect. There is vast scope for extensive research on this changeover. The trend of change and its aftermath, including implementation of the decisions from time to time concerning teachers, is of paramount importance in the study of onward development in education. It took more than hundred years to visualize teaching as a profession in Bangladesh. The question of job satisfaction came much later. The 1966 UNESCO-ILO recommendations concerning the status of teachers made a moral boost-up of the persons in teaching throughout the world. This was like an ice breaking, epoch-making event of historic importance. Again the 1997 UNESCO-ILO recommendations covering the higher education teachers and education personnel paved the way for greater and further understanding of the concern, problems and limitations in teaching along with their growing expectations and self-esteem. The latest contribution of UNESCO for teachers worldwide is the launching of Teacher Policy Development Guide on 4 November, 2015 which was presented at its 38th General Conference.
The event to launch the Teacher Policy Development Guide was organized by the Permanent Delegation of Mexico to UNESCO and the International Teacher Task Force (TTF) together with other Permanent Delegations of countries represented in the TTF Steering Committee. The guide was produced by the TTF with the aim of putting at the disposal of Member States and partners a tool that will facilitate the development and the review of national teacher policies. In the forward of the guide, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, Mr. Qian Tang, has called on governments intending to use it to develop a national teacher policy to take participatory and inclusive approaches, especially to involve teachers and their representative organizations in the process.
The Teacher Policy Development Guide was developed by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education for All (EFA) in close coordination with UNESCO entities and external partners of the Teacher Task Force. The aim was to produce a tool that could help countries develop evidence-based national teacher policy. Created in 2008 as a global partners alliance to fill the teacher gap, the Teacher Task Force has advocated for, and facilitated the coordination of, international efforts to provide sufficient numbers of well-qualified teachers to achieve EFA goals. The second phase of the Task Force programme (20142016) more specifically attempts to boost the performance and progress of education systems in addressing the critical shortage of qualified teachers so as to assist in achieving and monitoring the teacher-related target of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Education 2030 Framework for Action.
The Teacher Task Force Steering Committee, in its November 2013 meeting in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo), required the Secretariat to initiate the development of the Guide. To launch the process, the Secretariat convened a consultation meeting with relevant UNESCO entities on 1920 May 2014 to discuss an initial concept and an outline. Three international consultants were then hired to produce the Guide. Further substantive consultation occurred during the process of preparing the Guide, both with UNESCO entities in all regions, and with a wider range of stakeholders, including teacher policy-makers in the Asia-Pacific region, experts from international organizations, including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, and non-governmental organizations such as Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). The outcome was validated at the workshop organized in Rabat (Morocco) in December 2014, with additional inputs that the authors incorporated for submitting the final Teacher Policy Development Guide.
The Guide includes five key sections: Chapter 1 presents the purposes, rationale, scope and intended audience of the Guide; Chapter 2 explains the need for framing the teacher policy within a sector plan and national development priorities; Chapter 3 examines the most important dimensions for a teacher policy, and their correlations; Chapter 4 describes the phases in the process of developing a teacher policy, and Chapter 5 outlines
the steps and issues to address when implementing the national teacher policy. The Guide is available in seven languages namely Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
The present career path of teachers in Bangladesh does not look smooth or clear. Its brightness also is not visible to many. But instances of exemplary feats are there in and around. The innovative programmes of different countries, far and near also provide with optimism in the face of downsizing/downgrading of teaching as a profession. Teaching to a large extent now is recognized as a profession in Bangladesh. But establishing its dignity is uphill task. The National Education Policy 2010 is widely accepted and acclaimed by teachers and many concerned with education. But the pace of its implementation is not considered satisfactory. Teachers have developed 26-point charter which includes quality of teaching and education, proper financing in education, among others.
They voice the need for teachers development plan and programmes as a package, such as attractive career ladder, comparable salary, promotion and status, pre-service and in-service training, in service benefit, sickness, accident and emergency benefits, recreational facilities, retirement / pension benefits. But the question of teachers accountability again is of no less concern with the parents/guardians. So it is imperative that the accommodation of the concerns, expectations and prospects of both only can deliver the desired result. Formulation and development of a teacher policy in line with the broad principles suggested in the UNESCO Guide may help the process to a large extent.
Teachers unions, Educations NGOs need to start dialogue with the government as early as possible. In line with the launching of the Teacher Policy Development Guide at the UNESCO 38th General Conference and to urge upon the government, Initiative for Human Development (IHD), a member organization of Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE), organized a discussion meeting on 12 February on Teacher Policy Development Imperative and Expeditious Implementation of National Education Policy 2010. The primary, secondary and higher education teacher and educational institution employees leaders and representatives of national and international non government organizations who work in the field of education were expected to participate in the meeting. Lets wait for the follow-up.
The writer is member, National Education Policy Committee Chairman, Initiative for Human Development (IHD) [email protected]
