Standing with teachers

. World Teachers' Day arrives this year with a message that deserves to travel beyond ceremonies and expressions of gratitude. The theme 'Standing with teachers' marks six decades since the landmark ILO-UNESCO recommendation that set international standards for teachers' rights, training, recruitment and working conditions. For Pakistan, the occasion should force policymakers to question how well do we stand with those on whom the future of our children depends? Teachers occupy a peculiar place in our society. Their importance is routinely acknowledged, yet the profession itself is often denied the security and support such importance should command. In many public schools, teachers work in overcrowded classrooms with weak infrastructure and limited opportunities for professional development. Others serve in remote communities where staffing shortages mean that a single teacher can be responsible for an entire primary school. Last month, it was reported that more than 800 teaching posts were vacant in girls' schools in Lower Dir. Punjab, meanwhile, has extended the services of around 45,000 school teacher interns until May next year as it continues to deal with shortages through temporary appointments. Such arrangements may plug immediate gaps, but they cannot become a substitute for a stable recruitment system. This matters because an education system cannot consistently outperform the people who run its classrooms. New curricula and ambitious reform plans are of limited value if teachers are under appreciated or overburdened. Pakistan must make teaching a profession that capable people want to enter and remain in. Recruitment should be based on need and competence rather than short-term administrative expediency. Training must continue throughout a teacher's career instead of ending with an initial qualification. Teachers also need a meaningful voice in decisions about curriculum and classroom practice. Standing with teachers ultimately means standing with every child whose future begins in their classroom.