Recognize teachers as both workers and duty-bearers.

Protect and support teachers’ rights, well-being, and dignity.

Elevate the status of the teaching profession.

 

The celebrations for World Teachers’ Day 2023 highlight the theme “The Teachers We Need for the Education We Want: The Global Imperative to Reverse the Teacher Shortage”. It is a call, especially to governments, for a comprehensive reflection on the declining appeal and status of the teaching profession and to identify and institute concrete measures capable of reversing the teacher shortage.

 

In the Philippines, the teacher-student ratio is greater than that of Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore, with more than 20 students per teacher (Asian Development Bank Institute Working Paper Series No. 1300, January 2022). According to the Department of Education, the ideal ratio for the DepEd is 30 students per teacher but the ratio that we have is 1:40, the teacher shortage is at 86,000. Other independent studies pegged it at 147,000. Statistics from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) show that from 2013 to 2017, an average of 1,500 teachers left annually to work abroad.

 

The lack of enough teachers isn’t just about numbers. Teachers are the backbone of the education system. The shortage of qualified, motivated educators threatens our ability to provide inclusive, equitable, quality education for all, hindering the achievement of vital educational goals, including the Sustainable Development Goal 4.

 

As we acknowledge this critical issue, we must commit to a course of action that addresses the teacher shortage head-on and elevate the status of the teaching profession. Governments, institutions, and stakeholders must prioritize education in budgets and policies. Adequate education financing is essential to attract, hire, train, and retain teachers.