No More Status Quo — Why We Must Improve the Social Standing of Teachers
We all know that no school and, importantly, no education system is better than the quality of its teachers and school leaders. There is global consensus about this but little has been done to understand what, apart from material factors such as pay, contribute towards ensuring the teaching profession is strengthened.
For this reason we decided to commission the first ever Global Teacher Status Index, which provides insights into perceptions that the public have about teachers. In many places that our foundation works, the teacher is the biggest agent of change, but often suffers from low-esteem, low regard and is derided by “the system.” How can we expect change in the classroom if the person responsible for molding the minds of tomorrow’s leaders has no standing in their local community?
My parents were aspirational and very much wanted me to become a doctor, engineer or an accountant. Their prime motivation (at least, I believe to this day) was that these