EFEE members are contributing to an important international process that will help shape the future of the teaching profession: the revision of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.
Adopted almost 60 years ago, the Recommendation remains one of the key international reference frameworks concerning the teaching profession. It provides guidance on areas including teachers’ rights and responsibilities, professional preparation and development, recruitment, employment and working conditions, and the role of social dialogue in education.
Since its adoption, however, education systems and the teaching profession have changed significantly. Digitalisation and artificial intelligence, evolving skills needs, persistent teacher shortages, changing societal expectations, increasing diversity and inclusion needs, and new pressures on education systems have created challenges that could not have been fully anticipated in 1966.
Against this background, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNESCO are undertaking a revision of the Recommendation to ensure that the international framework continues to reflect the realities of contemporary education systems and the teaching profession.
Bringing the education employers’ perspective to the discussion
As part of the revision process, an Independent Expert Group (IEG-66) has been established to review the existing Recommendation and provide technical advice on the preparation of a revised text.
The group brings together experts appointed through UNESCO alongside representatives nominated through the ILO’s tripartite structure, encompassing governments, employers and workers. This structure provides an important opportunity for the different actors responsible for shaping and implementing education and employment policies to contribute to the discussion.
EFEE is pleased to see members of its network actively involved in this process, helping to bring the perspective of education employers into discussions on the future status of the teaching profession.
For education employers, this perspective is particularly important. Ensuring high-quality education requires attractive and sustainable working environments for teachers, while at the same time enabling education institutions and systems to respond effectively to changing learner needs, technological developments, workforce challenges and wider societal transformations.
Addressing the realities of education today
The technical consultations have already considered a range of themes that are increasingly important for education systems, including equity, inclusion and gender equality; digital transformation, artificial intelligence and the future of teaching; and teacher autonomy and academic freedom.
These discussions underline the importance of developing a revised framework that is both ambitious and responsive to the practical realities faced by teachers, education leaders and employers.
For EFEE, meaningful social dialogue between governments, education employers and workers is essential throughout this process. Bringing these perspectives together can help ensure that the revised Recommendation supports both the teaching profession and the capacity of education systems to provide high-quality, inclusive and resilient education.
The involvement of EFEE members in the revision process demonstrates the value of ensuring that the voice of education employers is represented in international discussions whose outcomes may influence education policies and working conditions for many years to come.
EFEE will continue to follow the revision process and contribute to international exchanges concerning the future of the teaching profession.
Learn more on the UNESCO WEBSITE