Sharjah: Teachers should be the main focus of future educational planning in the region, a Unesco official said during the second international conference for educational planning held in Sharjah on Wednesday.
According to a Unesco report, an estimated 1.7 million new teachers will be required by 2015 in order to reach the goal of primary education for all.
For this reason Dr Hamed Al Hamami, Director of Unesco regional bureau -Beirut, said that the main challenge facing the sector in the future will be training and recruiting teachers.
“Teachers are the main tool for change when it comes to educational planning and development. Training teachers and ensuring that there is a sufficient supply of qualified teachers in the years to come should be a priority especially among developing countries,” he added.
According to a report published by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), the teaching profession in the country faces similar challenges. “Not all schools understand that to provide teachers with training, support and fair terms of employment is a vital investment strategy,” it read.
The report found that casual recruitment, low salaries and poor working conditions are the key factors causing staff to quit.
To overcome these challenges, Minister of Education Humaid Mohammad Al Qutami emphasised that educational planning is key.
“Educational planning is no longer restricted to policy makers, now specialists in the field have become the leaders, which is why it’s important to have such a platform to discuss the challenges and the developments needed in the sector. It is key in creating an education-led society and environment.”
His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the two-day conference, which was organised by the Regional Centre for Educational Planning and Unesco.
The event aimed to bring educational specialists under one roof to discuss the 21st century challenges in educational planning and development.
Among the issues discussed at the conference are educational planning: for teaching and learning, leadership, educational policies and building a knowledge-based society.
