Thank you, Teacher!

A book exhibition “Thank you, Teacher!” timed to World Teachers’ Day runs in the Documents of international organizations reading room (room 207g) from 2 October to 4 November.

This Day was established by UNESCO in 1994 and is observed annually on 5 October in more than 100 countries.

The Special Intergovernmental Conference on the Status of Teachers held on 5 October 1966 in Paris became a historical precondition for the establishment of World Teachers’ Day. During the Conference representatives of UNESCO and the International labor Organization signed the Recommendations concerning the Status of Teachers.

The rights and duties of teachers and international norms concerning their training, improvement of professional skill, employment, working conditions and process of study are set out in the Recommendations. This important document also contains recommendations on participation of teachers in decision-making in the field of education by means of consultations and negotiations with persons responsible for the development of educational policy.

The teacher is not only a person who teaches sciences but also a carrier of spirituality and the moral beginning. Teachers carry out a special civil mission – education of young generation. Their knowledge and experience, continuity of traditions and innovation are in the basis of each school. Teachers exert a great influence on children’s interest in study and in the process of training itself. They help pupils to develop their critical thinking, impart the skill of collective work, teach to synthesize information from different sources, to solve problems after careful consideration and to make weighed decisions.

The World Teachers’ Day is an occasion to express our gratitude to teachers, to appreciate their work and to help them improve their skills. This is also a fine opportunity to pay attention to problems of teachers and to try to find the solution. However in some corners of the world this very important profession is not respected enough. One of the major purposes of the Teachers’ Day is the maintenance of a worthy position of representatives of this profession. The society should recognize the necessity to return to teachers their deserved respect and to recognize the main role of the teacher in the construction of future society based on a sustainable development, peace, democracy, human rights and equality.

In Belarus, Teachers’ Day is observed on the first Sunday of October. This holiday is noted in the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus № 157 of 26 March 1998 ”About state holidays and memorable dates in the Republic of Belarus”.

This is the most beautiful and kind professional holiday when teachers accept congratulations from pupils, both present and former, and also from their parents. On this day solemn events are held at schools all over the country. Celebratory concerts and cheerful performances are arranged for teachers. Pupils present to their teachers candies, flowers and gifts. Children prepare colourful wall newspapers specially for this day. Also there is a tradition at many schools to arrange on this day the Day of self-management when pupils give lessons and teachers have an opportunity to have a rest.

The exhibition consists of the following subject sections:

• Teachers and their role in education and sustainable development.
• Education reform and the world policy in the field of teachers’ professional training.
• Education in the epoch of globalization.
• Activity of international organizations in the sphere of education.
• The state policy of Belarus in the field of education and teachers’ professional training.

The exposition includes about 60 documents: books, periodicals, mimeographed materials. The most part of the exhibition are documents of international organizations (UN, UNESCO, ILO) in English, Russian and French.

The exhibition is designed for researchers and specialists in education, university professors, teachers, postgraduates, and also for everyone who is interested in urgent issues and perspectives of education.

Useful links

• World Teachers’ Day 2013: A Call for teachers!
• UNESCO Teacher education
• UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE)
• UNESCO The International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA)
• UNESCO Teachers Strategy 2012-2015
• International Task Force on Teachers for Education for All
• UNESCO-Hamdan Prize

Basic documents

• The ILO/UNESCO recommendations: EN | FR | SP | AR | RU | CH | PO
• UNESCO Teachers Strategy
• Teacher Projections for 2015
• UNESCO eAtlas of Teachers
• GMR policy paper on early grade teaching
• UNESCO Publications
• Partners’ Publications
• Teachers for EFA
• Every Child needs a Teacher (EI) (PDF)
• Toolkit on teacher codes of conduct (IIEP)