World Teachers Day / Svetovni dan učiteljev

I've written this for the Travel As A Volunteer Facebook page in Slovenian and in English.

English

World Teachers Day 5. 10. 2014: Invest in the future – Invest in teachers!

Teachers are an important investment for the future of all countries. Modern generations are growing up in uncertain times and they don't know what the future has in store for them. Therefore their teachers are the ones, who can make sure, that they will continue their life journey equipped with the right skills.

This year's 5^th of October marks 20 years of celebrating World Teachers Day, which commemorates the signing of Recommendation concerning the status of teachers in 1966. It was proclaimed World Teachers Day in 1993 in order to better acquaint the public with the mission of teachers.

There are many countries where students can't get a quality education due to a shortage of teachers. Classrooms all over the world are in dire need of more staff – we need 1.4 million teachers – who are of utmost importance for universal basic education. Quality also poses a problem alongside quantity. It's a common occurrence for teachers to be working without proper training and resources. We're currently facing a global learning crisis, because there are 250 million children who never learn how to read and write. 58 million school-aged children don't have a chance to go to school, 53% of them are girls. The biggest obstacle for families are school fees as most of them live under the international poverty line (less than 1,25 $ per day) and they simply can't afford to spend money on education.

The largest shortage of teachers is in Sub-Saharan Africa, where Gambia is also located, 0.9 million representing 63% of the overall need worldwide. There is on average 1 teacher for 35 students in Gambia, but the real numbers are usually much higher, as high as 70 to 100 students in one cramped classroom. Teaching is made harder by inappropriate working conditions, lack of school books and school supplies, distance to the school, inadequate toilets that are not separated for boys and girls, most of the schools don't have electricity … The literacy rate in this country is 46%.

Education is the most powerful tool for overcoming poverty, therefore we need to invest more in teachers. They are the ones who can open the door to a better future for our children! Every child should have access to basic education, which is a right and should never be a privilege.

Slovensko

Svetovni dan učiteljev 5. 10. 2014: Gradimo prihodnost – vlagajmo v učitelje!

Učitelji so pomembna naložba za prihodnost vseh držav. Današnji otroci odraščajo v negotovih časih in ne vedo, kaj jih čaka v prihodnosti, zato so prav učitelji tisti, ki lahko poskrbijo, da bodo življenjsko pot nadaljevali opremljeni z ustreznimi veščinami.

Letos 5. oktobra praznujemo že 20. obletnico svetovnega dneva učiteljev, ki ga obeležujemo v spomin na podpis Priporočil o položaju učiteljev leta 1966. Za svetovni dan učiteljev je bil proglašen leta 1993, z namenom da bi ljudem približal poslanstvo učiteljev.

V veliko državah učenci zaradi pomanjkanja učiteljev ne morejo dobiti kvalitetne izobrazbe. V učilnicah vsega sveta primanjkuje 1.4 milijona učiteljev, ki pa so nujno potrebni za univerzalno osnovno izobrazbo. Poleg števila pa je problem tudi kvaliteta pouka. Vse preveč pogosto se dogaja, da učitelji delajo brez primerne izobrazbe in brez osnovnih sredstev. Trenutno se soočamo z globalno krizo na področju izobraževanja, saj se kar 250 milijonov otrok nikoli ne nauči pisati in brati. 58 milijonov otrok, ki bi morali obiskovati osnovno šolo, te možnosti nima. Med njimi je 53% deklic. Največja ovira za družine, ki v veliki večini živijo pod svetovnim pragom revščine (manj kot 1.25$ na dan), so šolnine, ki mnogim predstavljajo prevelik strošek.

Največ učiteljev primanjkuje ravno v podsaharski Afriki, kjer se nahaja tudi Gambija, 0.9 milijona kar predstavlja 63% potrebe po učiteljih za cel svet. V Gambiji v povprečju pride 1 učitelj na 35 učencev, vendar so številke pogosto še precej večje, tudi do 70 ali 100 učencev. Poučevanje še dodatno otežujejo neprimerni delovni pogoji, pomanjkanje šolskih knjig in šolskih potrebščin, oddaljenost od šole, neustrezne sanitarije, ki niso ločene za dečke in deklice, večina šol nima elektrike, … Pismenost v državi je 46%.

Izobrazba je najmočnejše orodje proti revščini, zato je nujno, da se začne več vlagati v učitelje, saj so prav oni tisti, ki lahko otrokom odprejo vrata v boljšo prihodnost. Vsak otrok bi moral imeti dostop vsaj do osnovne izobrazbe, ki je pravica in ne bi smela biti privilegij.

Sources/ Viri:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/world-teachersday-2014

http://www.accessgambia.com/information/education.html