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Seminar to promote UNESCO Global Report on Teachers at Tohoku University in Japan
On 24th May, 2024, the Graduate School of Education of Tohoku University and UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia have organized a Seminar on UNESCO Global Report on Teachers. This seminar was organized in an effort to boost bi-lateral collaboration between the Graduate School of Education of Tohoku University and UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia. The main objective of the seminar was to raise awareness of the global report at the regional level. An estimated 40 participants participate on-line and face to face. The seminar was hosted by the Graduate School of Education of Tohoku University. Participants from different Universities from Japan, China and South Korea participated.
In close collaboration with the UNESCO Teacher Development Section at UNESCO Headquarters, International Taskforce on Teachers, UNESCO Beijing Office and the Graduate School of Education of Tohoku University hosted the Seminar on the global teachers report. In his opening remarks, Prof. Liu, highlighted the importance of this valuable report for under-graduate and post-graduate students for studies of the teaching profession. The team of International Taskforce on Teachers from UNESCO Teacher Development Section, guided by the Chief of Section, Mr. Carlos Vargas Tames, provided inputs to the presentation.
The 2024 UNESCO Global Report on Teachers was presented to students at the Tohoku University, by Mr. Robert Parua, Education Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia. The students and teachers who participated at the seminar were informed that teachers remain a top policy agenda for UNESCO and the report stressed that teachers well-trained, supported and valued are essential to ensuring quality education for all and meeting the education targets of the 2030 Agenda. During the seminar the under-graduate and post graduate students from Japan, China, Republic of Korea were informed about the deficit of 69 million teachers and many of those who are at work, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, lack basic qualifications and training to keep pace with changes in education.
The Graduate School of Education of Tohoku University and all stakeholders who participated at the seminar were informed about the need for all countries and teacher training Universities and Institutions to increase the supply of qualified and motivated teachers and supporting quality training which meets learners’ needs including the dimension on inclusion, gender sensitivity and digital technologies.
The participants at the seminar were informed that this new and first UNESCO global report on teachers presented today is a tool to mobilize international and country efforts to empower, recruit, train, and support teachers within resilient education systems for a collaborative, innovative, and cohesive teaching profession. The report is a roadmap, aiming to elevate the status of the teaching profession and ensure quality education for all learners, urging immediate action. All Universities in Japan, China and Republic of Korea were encouraged to hold seminars and discuss the report at Institutional level.
Echoing calls from the International Commission on the Futures of Education and the 2022 Transforming Education Summit, Global Report on Teachers advocates for dignifying, diversifying, and valorizing the teaching profession. It emphasizes the importance of improved working conditions, enhanced professional development, and increased teacher involvement in decision-making to bridge the gap.
The platform of the Graduate School of Education of Tohuku University is important to advocate the findings of the global report and highlight the urgency and importance of promoting teachers' issues and conditions in education, therefore, UNESCO conducted this presentation of Global Report on Teachers at Tohoku University.
The seminar highlighted key issues including the state of the art of global teacher shortages, teacher shortages as a multidimensional challenge, levers to address teacher shortages, transforming teaching toward a new social contract, financing the teaching profession, the role of international cooperation, and recommendations for addressing teacher shortages. All the participants from north-East-Asia region were very intrigued and engaged in in-depth discussions on related teachers issues after the presentation by UNESCO of the global report.
Tohoku University with a student population of 18,000 students is located in the city of Sendai City is one of the main Universities in Japan. On 24 May, it hosted the TU-EDU Talks 2024 themed of Teacher Education for Future Education. There were totally 40 participants from 5 universities in 3 countries, including Tohoku University, Korea University, Nanjing Normal University, National Chengchi University, etc.
During the session, Mr. Parua delivered a lecture, introducing UNESCO Teacher Education Programme and presenting the Global Report on Teachers. Following the seminar, the students were engaged in group discussions on the topic question: “What qualities do you think are essential for a teacher?” The discussion intrigued the students a lot, during which they put forward many innovative ideas about improving quality of teachers.
The participants at the Seminar were informed that the world faces a critical shortage of teachers, hindering the achievement of SDG 4 and the Education 2030 agenda. This is the first Global Report on Teachers stresses the urgency of this challenge and calls for immediate action. At the end of the Seminar the students and teachers discussed the key challenges highlighted by report on areas such as lack of good teacher policies, conditions of services, quality of teacher training, and the projected deficit of 44 million primary and secondary education teachers by 2030 and the complexity of the crisis and issues such as decline in the attractiveness of the profession and subsequent retention challenges in higher-income countries. The Japanese participants highlighted the key issue of improving the status and conditions for teachers in light of the emerging economic challenges.
The major outcome of the seminar was awareness and advocacy of the global report and many students and teachers were informed about the key highlights of the report. This presentation of Global Report on Teachers at Tohoku University certainly advocated the informative findings and recommendations of the report to students from multiple background. It does not only promote the importance of teacher education but also paved the way for enhancing cooperation and cultural exchange in the realm of teacher education between UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia and the Graduate School of Education of Tohoku University.
During the visit to Tohoku University, earlier this year, UNESCO officials discussed potential areas of cooperation with the Graduate School of Education of Tohoku University covering key thematic areas such as teacher education, education for sustainable development (ESD), Climate Change Education, culture, Disaster Risk Reduction, and higher education and student’s mobility issues.
UNESCO and the Graduate School of Education of Tohoku University are looking forward to strengthen cooperation in education and other related fields in the future.
