Go Public: Fund Education

“If you don’t have a strong supply of well-prepared teachers, nothing else in education can work” - Linda Darling Hammond


According to UNESCO, the world needs 44 million more teachers to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030. Unlike previous assessments concerning the shortage of qualified teachers which appeared to be isolated to developing countries, the shortage is now impacting all countries around the world, large or small, rich or poor. Go Public: Fund Education is EI’s flagship global campaign. It’s an urgent, and much needed, call for governments, intergovernmental organisations and international financing institutions to invest in teachers and invest in public education systems; the necessary precondition to addressing the global teacher shortage.


A BREAKTHROUGH

“Just as teachers support us all, it’s time to support teachers.” Antonio Guetrres, UN Secretary General.


As a result of tireless advocacy, we achieved a breakthrough. At the Transforming Education Summit in September 2022, the Secretary General announced the creation of the High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession. Experts from around the world were invited to be part of the Panel: former presidents, ministers of education, academics, representatives from civil society, the students’ union and Education International.


In February 2024, the Panel released it’s much-awaited report and recommendations providing a blueprint for the change needed to arrest and reverse the global teacher shortage. The recommendations are written with a clarity not normally seen in UN documents. They reflect a level of support from the United Nations for our profession that is unprecedented.


To attract and retain the teachers we need, the recommendations call on governments to ensure competitive, fair, and professional salaries. They also call for secure employment, good working conditions, and, against the backdrop of ever-increasing workloads and work intensification, work life balance. Precarious employment and the use of contract teachers and unqualified personnel must come to an end. Teacher well-being is a priority.


When it comes to teacher professional practice, the High-Level Panel recommends that all teachers have initial teacher training that is publicly funded and a university degree. It also encourages the provision of stipends for teachers in training. It recommends access to quality continuous professional development that is free and part of a teacher's official duties and co-designed with the profession. Teacher professional autonomy must be respected and teachers must be given the time and resources to collaborate and create communities of practice.


A strong commitment to gender equality, equity and diversity cuts across the recommendations. Working environments must be inclusive, safe, and non-discriminatory for teachers in all their diversity. Women’s leadership must be encouraged. 


Refugee teachers and displaced teachers should be provided with pathways into the education workforce of host communities. When a teacher is hired to work in camps for refugees or displaced persons, their labour rights must be respected. Teachers and education staff working in situations of crisis, disasters and conflict MUST BE PAID! 


The recommendations put social dialogue and, importantly, collective bargaining at the heart of transforming education. Policies in education should be developed with teacher unions at the table and employment conditions should be determined through social dialogue, including collective bargaining. And, yes, the Panel even reaffirms the right to strike.


The recommendations are solid and comprehensive, but we know that none can become a reality without financing. The Panel calls for guaranteed equitable public funding for education and sustainable investment in the teaching profession. Austerity measures are rejected.


Tax revenue is the best way to ensure sustainable education financing. In addition, debt relief and forgiveness should be considered to help countries ensure education funding. The National Education Union has produced an outstanding report Prioritise teachers to transform education: How tackling the global teacher shortage can unlock the UK’s development agenda.



BIOGRAPHY

Angelo Gavrielatos is Education International’s Go Public Fund Education: Campaign Manager. Between 2020 and 2024, Angelo was President of the NSW Teachers’ Federation. Prior to his election, Angelo led Educational International’s Global Response to the growing commercialisation and privatisation of education. Between 2008 and 2015, Angelo was the Federal President of the Australian Education Union (AEU). Education International is the global union federation representing 32 million teachers and other education workers across 178 countries. 

Angelo Gavrielatos • February 2, 2025
By Ann Beatty July 8, 2025
This week our CEO Ann and Jude (SSF Ambassador) visited schools in Coventry and heard about the wonderful work that students are doing to foster peace and community connection, as part of Coventry Arts Week. We visited Lyng Hall school in the morning and met with Ms Hagan and four of the schools UNESCO ASPnet ambassadors. They told us all about their recent project. The students took their art and poetry to the 80th Anniversary symposium in Ypres and Dunkirk. They shared with us some of the poetry they had written together with the students on the field trip and some of their own poems too. They also shared their future plans for working with their local primary school on peace and community. We also had the privilege of joining Ms Hagans class where they were looking at Caliban’s tale. Here is one of the students work
By Ann Beatty June 30, 2025
For my birthday this year I had the honour to walk 60 miles (yes it was a big 0 birthday) over 3 days to support the essential work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation of which I am CEO. Education in its many forms is essential for all of us to thrive and make the most of life's opportunities. The Foundation works to ensure that as many children and adults as possible across the globe can access the human right of education. The plan was to walk with friends and supporters who I hoped would keep me smiling along the way and it felt like a good way to make use of the Foundation’s “Get Moving” campaign. Here's how my Get Moving Fundraiser went on the first day. The 13th June I started my walk in London by walking from Barnet to west Hampstead and visiting my sister at her shop at Tree of Life where I got served a nice iced coffee to keep me going.
By Matthew Round June 4, 2025
Defining Success in Education: Bridging Gaps for a Better Future Education is often seen as the gateway to personal and societal advancement through personal betterment. But defining success in education requires a deeper understanding than just academic achievement, it isn’t just about qualifications or certificates. Rather educational success is about ensuring access to learning that is inclusive, equitable and quality-driven. It’s about equipping students with critical thinking skills and the space to be creative. A quality education fosters holistic approaches, promoting emotional, social and intellectual growth. On a societal level, educational success is about ensuring we value and appreciate a society wide distribution of knowledge and skills; that diversity of thought can be just as important as orthodoxy. Ensuring Access to Education that Meets Individual Needs Traditional western forms of education based within on e-size-fits all models are inadequate in a world where learners have diverse backgrounds, abilities and needs. A shift is needed away from the top-down deficit model approaches which assume teaching and learning is transactional or akin to filling empty vessels, or as Paulo Freire described it, the Banking Model of teaching. Success in education will come from programmes that respect differences between individuals and across communities, using, for example, adaptive learning approaches. Additionally, integrating support for learners with neurodivergent needs or disabilities, as well as promoting (and indeed funding) digital literacy, can ensure that education is individual but also focused on the emancipatory effects of education. Gender and Racial Equity: The Pillars of Inclusive Education Gender and racial equity are crucial components of a successful education system and a founding component of Sustainable Development Goal 4. Although there has been significant progress here, disparities globally still persist. Barriers such as gender-based violence, early marriage and inadequate school infrastructure pose challenges for the international community. Similarly, racial inequality in education can manifest in various ways, from lower access to quality schooling to biased curricula that don't reflect diverse cultures or histories. To address these disparities, education systems should continue to develop policies that promote gender-sensitive curricula and address the specific needs of marginalised groups. Investing in female education, particularly in underserved areas such as sexual health, has been shown to create a ripple effect that benefits entire communities. Similarly, anti-racist educational frameworks can help to make sure that all students, regardless of their race or gender, receive the same opportunities to thrive. Creating a Better Future: What Needs to Be Done? Most importantly, we need to keep talking about SDG 4 — providing inclusive and equitable education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. The more SDG4 is part of the global conversation the more likely it will become part of the taken for granted expectations of all countries and communities. The more academics like me discuss it in our lectures and have it in assignments, likely the more we are to normalise high quality, free primary and secondary education with our future global leaders. But more than this SDG4 should be at the heart of grass roots conversations, in every classroom, playground, and café. The more we talk about it the more a part of our global culture equitable access to education will become. Ultimately, success in education will not be defined by what certificates students attain, but by how well we equip individuals and communities to navigate and shape the world. Education should empower individuals, communities and nations to achieve their full potential, breaking down barriers that have traditionally limited access and opportunity. By striving for inclusivity, equity and quality, we can build a future where education truly is for everyone. BIOGRAPHY Dr Matthew Round is an academic and educator, who has worked with children from 3 years old to PhD students. Having been a science teacher, pastoral leader, and senior leader in schools in the UK, he now works in Higher Education and his current research focused on the emancipatory philosophies of Pierre Bourdieu and sex and sexuality education.