World Teachers’ Day is celebrated around the world on the 5th of October. It is also known by some as International Teachers’ Day. The event was established in 1994, and it commemorates the signing of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the status of teachers.

One and a half years into the COVID-19 crisis, World Teachers’ Day 2021 will focus on the support teachers need to fully contribute to the recovery process. This year, the theme of the World Teachers’ Day is ‘Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery’.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges for teachers and led to enormous pressure on teachers. Teachers have to adapt and adopt to new alternative ways of teaching strategies/methods, while ensuring the decent learning outcomes of their students. The educational disruptions and school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have confirmed the crucial role of teachers in maintaining learning continuity, but also in sustaining the very dynamics of households, families and communities.

To celebrate the values of teachers on the World Teachers’ Day during this pandemic, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) in collaboration with UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok), International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) of France, and UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE) of Russia  will organise a SEAMEO-UNESCO-TTF-IITE Experts Forum and SEAMEO WTD e-Festival: Celebrating World Teachers’ Day 2021 under the theme of the 2021 World Teachers’ Day: ‘Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery’, on Tuesday 5 October 2021 at 10.00 – 12.00 hrs (GMT+7, BKK Time).