Photos by Caroline Manu

Around 1500 teachers from throughout Tongatapu marked World Teachers' Day on Friday, 2 October with a theme, ‘Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies’.

The World Teachers' Day falls on 5 October but Tonga celebrated it today, with a special ceremony hosted by the LDS School System that included entertainment of a variety show performed by school systems, at ‘Atele Indoor Stadium.

Nine non-government school systems were presented with special Ministerial Awards for their valuable contribution to the development of education in Tonga.

The awards went out to Ocean of Light, Seventh Day Adventist School System, Tokaikolo Christian School System, Anglican Church School System, Free Church of Tonga School System, Free Wesleyan Church School System, ‘Unuaki ‘o Tonga Royal Institute and LDS School System.

Central role

A joint message from UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, ILO and EI (Education International) for World Teachers' Day stated that this day celebrates educators and the central role they play in providing children everywhere with a quality education.

"Today as the global community comes together around the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals and the role teachers play has never been more important. The new global education goal, SDG 4 which at the heart of Education 2030 agenda calls for inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

It also stated that realising this goal is critical to achieving all our global development targets for strong societies depending on well-educated citizens and a well-trained workforce. But we can only realize this agenda if we invest in recruiting, supporting and empowering teachers.

Quality teachers are increasingly recognized as the most important factor in children’s learning and in improving educational attainment levels, increasing the ability of young people to participate in society and today’s knowledge economies, boosting productivity and prosperity. Especially in poor communities and countries affected by conflict, quality teaching can literally change a child’s life, helping children overcome enormous challenges and preparing them for better lives and brighter futures.

The UNESCO Institute of Statistics estimates to achieve universal primary education by 2020 countries will need to recruit a total of 10.9 million primary teachers.

“This is a global education crisis in the making, unless we act.”

The Acting Minister of Education and Training Hon ‘Etuate Lavulavu was the guest of honour at the event.