Amina Mohammed: UN deputy secretary-general
UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms Amina Mohammed, has called on nations to put teachers at the centre of their education development plans.
In a video message to mark the World Teachers’ Day, Mohammed said teachers are the “backbone of all education systems, and the key to ensuring quality and inclusive education for all.
“As such as we reimagine education, teachers must be at the centre of the process.
“What the crisis (pandemic) has brought to light is that, for millions of learners, teachers are also a lifeline.
“The support and solidarity of those teachers during COVID-19 is the spirit of cooperation that we must all embrace and sacrifice,” she said.
The UN deputy Secretary-general lauded Education International, the International Labour Organisation, UNESCO and UNICEF for working together to bring global attention to the world’s indispensable teachers and other education workers.
Such collaboration, she said, is badly needed now that the COVID-19 crisis has stalled global efforts towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Acording to her, the pandemic “risks turning a pre-COVID learning crisis into a post-COVID learning catastrophe.
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“At the opening of the new session of the General Assembly, world leaders urged greater global solidarity to recover better from this crisis and deliver the SDGs with a decade of sustained and ambitious action.
“Many called in particular for action on education, recognising that it remains one of our greatest tools for advancing peace, human rights and all 17 SDGs.
“The United Nations family, working with our partners, will continue to support teachers around the world.
“We will ensure that their voices are heard, and their skills are improved to leverage the latest technology for 21st century learning and beyond.
“Let us commit to leaving no teacher behind,” Mohammed said.(NAN)
