A thematic exhibition "Teacher, In front of you...", dedicated to World Teachers' Day is on show in the Documents of International Organizations Reading Room (room 207g) from October 4 to November 9.

UNESCO declared this Day in 1994 and it is annually celebrated on October 5 in more than 100 countries around the world. In some countries, this holiday is celebrated on days close to this date, usually on the first Sunday of October.

The historical background for the establishment of the holiday was a special intergovernmental conference on the status of teachers held in Paris on 5 October 1966. As a result, representatives from UNESCO and the International Labour Organization signed the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.

The recommendation specified teachers' rights, responsibilities, and international standards regarding their training, professional development, recruitment, working conditions and the learning process. In 1997, the Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-education Teaching Personnel was adopted, complementing the 1966 Recommendation by including teaching and research personnel working in higher education.

Every year, World Teachers' Day is dedicated to a particular theme. In 2021, a year and a half after the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the theme of the day will be "Teachers at the heart of education recovery".

For centuries, the profession of a teacher has been regarded as one of the most important in the life of any society, because teachers have a special civic mission: educating the younger generation. What kind of generation it will be; what kind of national values it will uphold; how it will treat its elders – all this depends largely on teachers. Their knowledge and experience, the continuity of traditions and innovation are at the heart of every school. Teachers have a great influence on the child's interest in learning and on the learning process itself. They help students develop critical thinking, teamwork skills, synthesizing information from different sources, thinking about problems and making carefully weighed decisions.

A teacher is not only a person who teaches sciences but also a carrier of morality. A teacher is not just a profession; it is a vocation, a difficult and responsible mission.

Teachers' Day is a great opportunity to draw attention to the problems of teachers at the national and global levels and analyze the successes of educators in an international context. One of its tasks is to restore respect to the teaching profession and to recognize the crucial role teachers play in shaping the future.

In our country, Teachers' Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of October. This day is specified in Presidential Decree No 157 dated 26 March 1998 'On State Holidays, Public Holidays and Remembrance Days in the Republic of Belarus'.

It is the most beautiful and kindest of professional days, on which teachers receive congratulations from pupils, current and former, and their parents. On this day, official events are held throughout the country in schools. For teachers, festive concerts and cheerful performances are arranged. Students give their teachers candy, flowers and gifts.

The exhibition includes about 60 books, periodicals, booklets in English, Russian and Belarusian. Most of the exhibition consists of documents of international organizations (UN, UNESCO, and ILO). The publications displayed reveal the essence of the teaching profession and examine the teacher's role in human and social development.

The exhibition consists of the following sections:

The teacher and his/her role in upbringing and education
Teacher education: national and international experience
Professional development for teachers
History of pedagogy, efforts of the world's great educators
State policy of the Republic of Belarus in the field of education and training of pedagogical personnel

The exhibition is targeted at scientists and specialists in the field of education, teachers at universities, specialized secondary educational institutions and secondary schools, post-graduate students, as well as all those interested in contemporary problems of educational development.

Documents and publications

UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers
Incheon Declaration
UNESCO Teacher Policy Development Guide
ILO Policy Guidelines on the promotion of decent work for early childhood education personnel
UNESCO World Reports on Education Monitoring
"Rethinking education. Towards a global common good?"
"Teaching and Learning: Achieving Quality for All"
"Education Sector Analysis. Methodological guidelines" – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

The opening hours of the exhibition correspond to the library’s opening hours.
Admission is by the library card or by the Social and Cultural Centre ticket.

The books presented at the exhibition can be ordered through the electronic catalogue of the National Library of Belarus.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 34.

Official Documents Service Department

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Teacher! In front of you...

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