We must build a new social contract for education – a contract based on equality, equity, and universal human rights. At the center of our global efforts to ensure education for all, we must put teachers first in everything we do. They are frontlines heroes who deliver every day to educate children, cultivate young talent, and build a strong society. They are the substitute parents, the mentors and the ones who contribute to shaping the identify of a child in war, in refuge or in climate change.
On World Teachers’ Day, we commend the remarkable work done by teachers on the frontlines of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. In places like Beirut, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gaza, Haiti, Sudan and Ukraine, these teachers work in dangerous conditions to provide girls and boys with the life-saving – and life-affirming – opportunity that only a quality education can provide.
As the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) puts teacher voices first in everything we do. Last year alone, we provided training to more than 100,000 teachers (59% women) on topics ranging from mental health, education in science, technology, engineering and math, gender-inclusion and disaster risk reduction. Approximately 60% of our investments active in 2023 supported teacher recruitment and/or financial assistance to retain teachers, with a focus on equity and inclusivity. This collective work reached a total of 5.6 million crisis-impacted children and adolescents in 2023.
In Nigeria, where approximately 18 million children are out of school, bold and brave teachers like Hafsat are making a real difference. In the Hajj Camp in Borno State, Hafsat and other teachers like her are providing education for girls and boys that were either the children of armed group members or may have been child soldiers themselves. In this wild corner of North-East Nigeria, children are born from conflict and live in constant fear of abduction, forced recruitment, enslavement and sexual exploitation.
Imagine the difference Hafsat can make in the lives of her students, her community and the world as a whole; as she puts it: “I love children, and I also believe that my line of work is important for peacebuilding.”
We face a number of challenges in mobilizing, training and supporting teachers, especially on the frontlines of armed conflicts, forced displacement, the climate crisis and other humanitarian catastrophes. According to recent analysis from our partners UNESCO, 44 million additional teachers are needed to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030.
With more funding we can provide cash incentives to support teachers in the war zones and climate disasters around the globe. Besides being affected themselves, we also have to empower them. We can train teachers like Hafsat to deal with the unique needs of children who have lived through the horrors of war and terror. We can build the policies and systems in countries to ensure gender-inclusive education and encourage pupils to turn their resilience into power.
And we can work collectively to ensure coordinated and synchronized support across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to connect teachers, students and the communities they serve to deliver on a new social contract based on universal values and universal human rights. Today, we honor all teachers in the most difficult situations in the world. Now, we must act.
Yasmine Sherif is Executive Director Education Cannot Wait (ECW)
