Prof Dr Md Mahmudul Hassan :
The theme of Teachers’ Day – 2021 has been set as “Teachers at the heart of education recovery”. The contribution of teachers in the process of recovering education has been highlighted in the post-Covid period. UNESCO has declared the theme for Teachers’ Day in recognition of the hard work and dedication of teachers in the Corona Extreme Crisis.
To mark World Teachers’ Day – 2021, the members of UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF, Education International (EI), World Bank, Hamdan Foundation, TTF, Global Education Coalition and In-Country Local Education Group are participating in the global event through social media. From this point of view, this year’s World Teachers’ Day is very significant.
During the current crisis, it has been observed that teachers were at the center of educational responses. They have arranged online teaching and learning sessions. They have set up take-home projects or home schooling for students living in rural and remote areas despite lack of connections and technology needed to take online education. They have adapted their practices and diversified the format, sources and contents of education to meet the needs of students including their socio-mental well-being. They have also further strengthened the protection of social communication between students, fellow teachers and the school community. They have often taught students through social media and texting, taking exams and trying their best to overcome the learning loss by exchanging the necessary resources of education.
Teachers have had to face many challenges during the Corona crisis which includes lack of opportunities for professional development in online education, distance learning, double-shift classes and increased workload associated with blended learning. Also, it was even more tragic to dismiss permanent teachers by hiring contractual teachers or to hire unpaid teachers in private schools and community schools month after month, or sometimes to fire them. Even teachers are rarely invited to participate in any important decision-making or policy-making process. But teachers have a direct impact on students’ learning and well-being. The dignity of the teachers alone is very important beyond the socio-economic status in academic life which affects the achievement of the students. However teachers are undervalued in society and economically neglected. As a result, the teaching profession in our country is not considered as an attractive profession for talented people. Besides, in terms of health safety, when teachers and education workers need to be given priority in Covid-19 vaccination schemes as frontline workers, it has not been properly done.
Another hurdle to building the talent of working teachers is the mushrooming system of accountability that constrains teachers’ agency, autonomy and decision-making ability. It ultimately makes the profession less attractive and intellectually numb. Resultantly, many teachers quit their jobs.
Professional development of teachers is very important in recovering education. To this end, policy makers should maintain regular contact with teachers and support them in improving their quality, trust the educational decisions of trained and experienced teachers and increase their ability to use educational technology to support learning, ensure all hybrid learning tools and diversify education. In addition, there are issues that teachers need to address in order to reduce the risk of disrupted learning; Undertake complementary education activities, ensure learning outcomes for teaching at the right level, take into account the relevance of education and balance between the disadvantages and advantages of education during the pandemic. And this requires specific educational qualifications and experienced knowledge. For example, evaluating education at the classroom level and adjusting the curriculum to suit the needs of the students. These are steps that teachers need to practice with awareness, to better prepare for future crises, and to ensure the recovery of education by taking advantage of technological advances.
When it comes to education administration and participation, the biggest challenge facing the education system is to create channels for teachers and their organisations to participate in education-centered decision-making and to disseminate their experienced knowledge in the classroom. At different levels of education administration and management, through social dialogue, the participation of the governing body of the educational institution, maintaining constant communication in the networks and communities of practice is another challenging responsibility for teachers.
One and a half years after the COVID-19 crisis, on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, we need to focus on the support that needs to be given to fully contribute to the education recovery process. Following the spirit of international standards in assessing the status of teachers and educators due to the global context, this year’s World Teachers’ Day observation has been hailed as positive in the role of teachers in recovering education. Therefore, teachers need to be given full support to play their expected role in achieving the SDG of 2030 and they need to be given the necessary support to recover education.
(Dr Mahmudul Hassan is Principal, Daffodil International School).
