Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers: A global overview of current policies and practices

The Special Intergovernmental Conference on the Status of Teachers held in Paris on 5 October 1966 recognized: … the essential role of teachers in educational advancement and the importance of their contribution to the development of … modern society. In the four decades since the Joint ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers was adopted, important changes that impact on teachers have occurred. The locum of poverty has shifted from Asia to Africa where the HIV/AIDS pandemic is at its most widespread. Expanding knowledge economies have provided a range of occupations for those who traditionally became teachers, a process affecting all parts of the world. The rapid pace of change in new communication technologies is impacting on economies and education systems alike. This overview looks at these factors and the implications for teachers in respect of: – teacher supply and retention; – teacher education reform; – innovations in the pre-service and continuing professional development (cpd) of teachers.