Overview

• Observed on October 5, the day was established by UNESCO in 1994 to mark the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation on teachers’ status.
• This year’s theme, “Recasting teaching as a collaborative profession,” targets isolation, weak support networks and limited development opportunities that drive burnout and turnover.
• UNESCO highlights concrete steps including protected joint planning time, embedded early‑career mentorship, revised accountability that rewards collective improvement, and funding for professional learning communities.
• UNESCO co-convenes the day with the ILO, UNICEF and Education International, with a major 2025 program embedded in the PACTED conference in Addis Ababa featuring agency statements and an African Union–led ministerial panel.
• Events are slated across more than 100 countries, while India maintains a separate Teachers’ Day on September 5 in honor of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.