HISTORY Since the Dakar Forum in 2000, tangible progress has been made towards the achievement of the EFA goals particularly with regard to Universal Primary Education (UPE). However, the rapid expansion of primary education intake of school-age children has not been matched by commensurate teacher recruitment. On the other hand, many children are completing primary education and are also knocking on the doors of secondary education. In this context, there has been a growing realization of the urgent need to address the teacher gap for EFA. At the Oslo Education for All High Level Group (HLG) meeting in December 2008 general recommendations were proposed to all EFA partners. This included urging national governments to map out their short and medium-term needs for recruitment, deployment, training and retention of quality teachers. The recommendations called upon development partners to support national efforts to address the teacher deficit and to provide predictable support to cover the associated costs. To this end, the Oslo declaration endorsed the creation of an International Task Force on Teachers for EFA. The Task Force – for its first phase of activities (2009-2012) - developed an Action Plan identifying three teacher-related gaps which particularly need to be addressed: First, the policy gaps: The need for the development and/or reinforcement of relevant national policies, strategies and plans for the provision of teachers; Second, the capacity gaps: Capacity to collect, manage and use data and information for policymaking, policy implementation and monitoring and evaluation. This also relates to human resource constraints at national levels with respect to planning and management of teacher provision for EFA. Third, the financing gap in relation to the unmet need for increased investment on teachers at national levels, as well as for international support for country-level recurrent expenditure to meet teacher needs for EFA. During the first phase of its existence, the Teachers Task Force has proven to be an effective mechanism for advocacy, policy dialogue at global and regional levels and for knowledge development and sharing on critical teacher issues. In March 2012, an external evaluation of the structure and work of the Task Force recognized its relevance and recommended its extension up to 2015 and beyond. Based on this evaluation, a new strategic plan for the second phase (2013-2016) has been developed. The new strategic plan is articulated around three main line of actions (MLAs): ADVOCACY AND COORDINATION WITH GLOBAL AND REGIONAL INITIATIVES; KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND DISSEMINATION; AND FACILITATION OF COUNTRIES' ACCESS TO TECHNICAL SUPPORT. The substance of the work in the MLAs covers the following thematic areas: Teacher's education and professional development; Teacher's status and working conditions; Teacher management; Financing teachers and teaching; Monitoring and evaluation of teacher policies and practices; and Inclusion and equity in teacher policies and practices Among the numerous determinants of education quality and learning outcomes, getting a qualified and motivated teacher into the classroom is the single-most important school-based factor. The ambitious SDG4-Education 2030 framework cannot afford not to make considerable progress on teacher and teaching issues to meet the wider challenges of education systems. Our Vision The International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030’s vision is clear: teaching should be a valued profession and every learner should be taught by qualified, motivated and empowered teachers within well-resourced, effiecient and effectively governed systems. To achieve this vision, the mission of the Teacher Task Force (or TTF) is to mobilize governments and other stakeholders for the advancement of teachers and quality teaching, acting as a catalyst of global, regional and national efforts through advocacy, knowledge creation and sharing and country support and engagement. The most notable challenge regarding teachers and teaching facing the world today is the issue of the "teacher gap". The Teacher Task Force believes that, in fact, there are multiple teacher gaps which are both quantitative and qualitative. The Teacher Task Force considers that the most efficient approach to closing the gaps is to adopt holistic national teacher policies that include the widest range of interlocking dimensions affecting teachers and teaching. The Teacher Task Force mission is aligned with the SDG4-Education 2030 framework and other international teacher-related normative instruments. Main Lines of Action To fulfill its goals of improving teacher quantity and quality, the Task Force will articulate its programme around three Main Lines of Action. The logic is that by (1) creating or maintaining an awareness of the priority of teachers in the policy sphere and (2) providing state-of-the-art knowledge, stakeholders will be equipped for tackling teacher gaps in their respective countries and contexts. For countries seeking assistance on those topics, the TTF (3) facilitates the provision of country-specific support. 1. Advocacy The TTF believes that the efficient implementation of teacher policies requires dialogue and extensive participation of all stakeholders – starting with teachers themselves. However, dialogue among stakeholders remains much needed to lessen the tension between teachers and their employers that affects learning. Social dialogue will then be one of the key drivers of the teacher-related SDG target. 2. Knowledge creation and sharing The prominence of teachers in the SDG4-Education 2030 framework reinforces the need for sound knowledge about the situation of teachers. Detailed and regular monitoring of the progress of countries relating to teachers is needed, now more than ever before, and should go hand in hand with bridging knowledge gaps on teachers and teaching. The TTF will build on its expertise and network of partners to continue providing such knowledge and experience sharing and will play a supporting role in the monitoring of SDG target 4.c. 3. Country support and engagement Teacher policies are specific to context. This means that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Countries might therefore request tailored support from the TTF. Being able to offer concrete advice and guidance on policy and implementation issues is essential for the TTF’s legitimacy and relevance. TTF MLA EN Click below to read the 2018-2021 Strategic Plan download-ON
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