Celebrate World Teachers' Day

"Teachers matter!" is the theme for the 2008 observance of World Teachers' Day on October 5. UNESCO has estimated that 18 million additional teachers are needed worldwide if the goal of universal primary education is to be achieved by 2015. Even more teachers will be required to meet needs at other levels.

In advance of World Teachers' Day, a round table discussion was held at UNESCO headquarters on Paris, France, on October 3. UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura opened the event, which featured addresses by teachers from all regions of the world.

A joint statement on World Teachers' Day was issued by UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, Education International, and the International Labour Organization. Read the full text on the UNESCO website. If you'd like to send a "Thank you" to a special teacher who made a difference in your life, you can send an electronic greeting card from the Education International website.