Teachers a force for social change

Teachers all around the world - such as Normand Maurice in Canada; Ani Rauhihi in New Zealand and Cheikh Diouf in Senegal - are…

Teachers all around the world - such as Normand Maurice in Canada; Ani Rauhihi in New Zealand and Cheikh Diouf in Senegal - are being celebrated today. This is part of a campaign to highlight the work of teachers and the struggle of some in difficult parts of the world.

This is the fourth World Teachers' Day, organised by UNESCO and Education International, which has 23 million members in 150 countries. The day will focus on the contributions and achievements of teachers around the world as well as their concerns and priorities.

The theme for today is "teachers, a force for social change". There are 50 million teachers around the world, which is about one per cent of the total population. Education International is a world trade union federation for the education sector.

A brochure, which is published by UNESCO and EI, contains profiles of teachers in nine countries - Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Jordan, Myanmar, New Zealand, Senegal, and Trinidad and Tobago. More information about the brochure is available from UNESCO's Education Unit at 7, Place de Fontenoy, 753 52 Paris 07 SP, France, or Education International, 155 Boulevard Emile Jacquemain, 8, 1210 Brussels, Belgium.

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Teachers are advised to check the websites of EI at (http:/www.eiie.org) and the UNESCO Education Department (http:// www.education.unesco.org) in order to follow World Teachers' Day which aims to make the voices of teachers heard.