World Teachers' Day: CTF President joins education leaders at the United Nations in support of quality education

OTTAWA, Sept 22, 2014 /CNW/ - n the days leading up to World Teachers' Day (Oct. 5), the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) will add its voice to the chorus of those of 30 million members of Education International (EI) in urging the United Nations (UN) to include the three pillars of quality education in the post-2015 Social Development Goals.

"EI's Unite for Quality Education campaign over the past year has helped to bring awareness to the three pillars of quality education that we must continue to address as the global development agenda prepares to move beyond 2015," explains CTF President Dianne Woloschuk. Teacher leaders from around the world are expected at the EI event at the UN in New York to highlight World Teachers' Day (Oct. 5) and to bring to a close the Unite for Quality Education campaign. The campaign urged governments around the world to make quality education a developmental priority and to support the global campaign to get all girls in school. Currently, girls account for 54 percent of the 57 million children who are denied the opportunity to go to school.

A CTF petition in support of the EI campaign and signed by Canadian teachers will be also presented at the United Nations in New York on Sept. 25th.

CTF President Dianne Woloschuk adds that quality equitable education doesn't happen on its own. "It is driven by three essential pillars of quality education:

• Quality teachers: Quality teachers are qualified teachers with opportunities for professional growth;
• Quality tools: Appropriate curricula and inclusive teaching and learning materials and resources, including ICT, are readily available;
• Quality environments: Supportive, safe, and secure facilities enable teachers to teach effectively and students to learn.

"Publicly funded public education systems provide high quality, equitable education for all," Woloschuk adds. "However, global austerity measures have eroded its accessibility, universality, inclusion and quality since the 2008 financial crisis and opened the door to practices that undermine equity.  Given that the 2015 Education for All targets have not been achieved, it is critical that the UN include the three pillars for quality education in the post-2015 Development Goals for a peaceful and prosperous future for all," she adds.

World Teachers' Day, held every October 5^th, was established by UNESCO in 1994 following lobbying for its creation from CTF alongside EI. It was originally the brainchild of former CTF Secretary General Dr. Norman Goble in whose name CTF established an award after his passing in 2013.

The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) is an alliance of nearly 200,000 elementary and secondary educators from 17 organizations (15 Members, one Affiliate Member and one Associate Member) across Canada. Follow the CTF on Twitter: @CanTeachersFed and @EnseigneCanada. CTF is also a member of the international body of teachers, Education International (EI).

SOURCE: Canadian Teachers' Federation

Spokesperson: CTF President Dianne Woloschuk; Contact: Francine Filion, Director of Communications, 613-688-4314 (office) or 613-899-4247 (cell)