Are governments providing teachers with the tools to deliver quality education?

October 5th is celebrated globally as World Teachers’ Day every year. This day was instituted by the United Nations (UN) to recognize the vital role teachers play in providing quality education at all levels. Teachers enable children and adults of all ages to learn, participate, and contribute to both their local communities and global society.

Education is the key to development everywhere, and teachers' roles in education are crucial; they must be respected and honoured. Unfortunately, many governments around the world, including my home countries of Ghana and Ontario, Canada, pay only lip service to teachers. Politicians, with their self-serving ideologies, are often the worst offenders.

In Ghana, for example, teachers have long struggled to receive their fair share of the national budget. They are denied the resources they need to provide quality education in schools. During last year’s Teachers’ Day celebration in Akosombo, Eastern Region, Dr. Philip Siaw Kissi, former Vice-Dean of Students, Coordinator, and Director of Research, Innovation, and Development at the University of Education, Winneba, advocated for the government to pay book and research allowances to teachers in Junior and Senior High Schools.

Dr. Kissi explained that research is a vital activity that allows teachers to acquire new knowledge and deepen their understanding of teaching and learning. “Educators benefit from various types of research, which helps them gain a better grasp of their subjects. This new knowledge further improves the educational practices of teachers and professors,” he emphasized.

He also recalled a previous government mortgage policy that enabled teachers to acquire homes through loans, questioning why this policy was discontinued, which has now made it more difficult for teachers to purchase homes.

This year, the government of Ghana has planned a grand National Teachers' Day celebration in Kumasi, where teachers will be awarded prizes ranging from houses to cars and cash for excellence at all levels of education. While these rewards are attractive, the pressing question remains: What major investments is the government making in classrooms across the country to help teachers deliver high-quality education? After all, not all teachers will receive these awards. This is food for thought.

Similarly, in Ontario, Canada, the government has had a confrontational relationship with teachers’ unions, which are advocating for quality public education through adequate funding.

The celebration of World Teachers’ Day should encourage us to reflect on the support teachers need to fully utilize their talents and vocations. It is an opportunity to rethink the future of the profession and how teachers can transform education worldwide.

It is, therefore, essential to honor teachers across the globe by supporting them both in principle and practice so that they can do their jobs well, especially for the benefit of children attending public schools.