Celebrating teachers role in promoting democracy for World Teachers' Day

HALIFAX, Oct. 4, 2013 /CNW/ - Teachers in Nova Scotia and across Canada will join more than 30 million of their colleagues around the globe marking World Teachers' Day on October 5. Teachers: Pillars of Democracy is this year's theme. Under the auspices of Education International (EI) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) this event honours and celebrates the valuable work of teachers.

"This annual celebration of our proud profession, draws the need to raise the status of the profession and acknowledge the indispensable role teachers play in building the future," says NSTU president Shelley Morse.

This year's theme stresses the democratic practices that teachers instill in students at an early age and highlight teachers' far-reaching influence and important role in a political democracy.

"Teachers promote the importance of democracy and explore with students the importance of being actively engaged citizens," she says. "Through hands-on learning programs, like Student Vote, teachers can engage students to be pillars of democracy in action."

World Teachers' Day is an annual celebration of the valuable work of teachers in Canada and around the globe. It was the brainchild of former Canadian teacher leader Norman Goble. First recognized in 1994, consecutive Nova Scotia provincial leaders have proclaimed the day since 1995.

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union represents more than 10,000 public school teachers, Community College faculty and professional support staff in Nova Scotia, and teachers who work for the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Since 1895, it has worked to improve the quality of public education for children and youth in Nova Scotia, while promoting and advancing the teaching profession.

SOURCE: Nova Scotia Teachers Union

Angela Murray, NSTU Public Relations Coordinator Telephone: [phone], Cell: 902-497-0194, Email: [email protected], @NSTeachersUnion