Since 1966, UNESCO and ILO jointly organised a world-wide survey in about 120 countries to see the status of teachers. The reports reflected that the profession had reached an intolerably low point. In many places salaries have fallen, specially in comparison with other professions. Teachers in some parts earned, in 1992 and 1993, less than half the salary they would have received in 1979-80. Unqualified and untrained teachers often replace the qualified teachers who leave for better paid jobs. Student/teacher ratios and teachers' hours have increased while training has been reduced.

In industrial countries violence in schools was taking place in alarming numbers. The situation was acerbated by the increasing demands made on teachers as a result of educational reforms due to technological advances, social environments and problems caused by poverty, drugs and AIDS. Meanwhile, the high expectations of parents and communities made teachers vulnerable to criticism.

At that juncture UNESCO and ILO started to think that a positive new approach to teachers should be taken, and one day should be dedicated to the world's 50 million teachers. Accordingly, October 5 was proclaimed as the 'world teachers' day' in 1994 at the close of an international conference on education in Geneva to commemorate the signing of the UNESCO/ILO recommendation concerning the status of teachers on October 5, 1966.

UNESCO & ILO, in that meeting, recommended the following five measures for governments to ensure immediately:

• Give teachers the moral and material recognition they need and deserve, appropriate to their qualifications and responsibilities.
• Ensure that they have proper working conditions, including basic tools for their tasks.
• Pay them a salary comparable with other professions.
• Involve teachers and their professional organisations in the formation of educational policies.
• Provide good teacher education as well as training on the job.

In a joint message on the occasion of World Teachers' Day, 2006 UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF & UNDP pinpointed to producing more trained and better qualified teachers for achieving excellence in teaching and learning. They emphasised professional support for the teachers for boosting their determination and motivation through providing decent employment and working conditions and adequate remuneration. Social dialogue should be started to ensure that teachers' opinions are being integrated into basic education reforms.

They called on governments, civil society, development partners, the private sector, teachers' unions, teachers' organisations, parents and individual teachers themselves to combine their efforts to give new life to the principles of the recommendations concerning the status of teachers for advancement towards quality education for all. The message was signed by Koichiro Matsuara, Director General, UNESCO, Juan Somavia, Director General, ILO, Kemal Dervis, Administrator, UNDP and Ann M Veneman, Executive Director, UNICEF.

Teachers are the curators of yesterday, and architects of tomorrow. They constantly strive to release students from the bondage of ignorance. Quality education has got an indispensable relation with qualified teachers. Teachers need the appropriate knowledge and skills. A good teacher learns throughout his life in order to teach.

One of the major rewards for a teacher is the joy of seeing students get turned on to learning. Teaching today, in a changing world, is more demanding and challenging. They are to work in a world characterised by rapidly shifting social values, major technological advances and a never ending barrage of educational reforms in a climate of stress, poverty and violence.

In the prevailing circumstances there is a valid question -- who should teach? The answer was given by Lindley J. Stiles of the University of Wisconsin a few years ago: "the best should teach." UNESCO & ILO, in their joint message on the World Teachers' Day-2006, also highlighted the theme by saying: "quality teachers for quality education."

There are about 7.5 lakh people in the teaching profession in Bangladesh. About one lac thirty thousand teach in madrashas. They work with dissimilar salaries and benefits. This year they came out to the streets with their demands several times. The non-government teachers of secondary and higher secondary class, who teach about 95% students of the country, were getting 90% of basic salary. House rent and medical allowances are very poor. A big difference between govt. and private schools and colleges in respect of benefits and salary structure is prevailing.

During the 2001 national election the ruling and opposition political parties, in their election manifestoes, committed to provide the rest 10% basic from the public coffer. Teachers of non-govt. institutions started demonstrations in the month of July finding no provision of providing the rest 10% of salaries even in the last budget of the present govt. Teachers under the banner of Shikkhak Karmachari Oikya Parishad, Oikya Front and Oikya Jote came out of the classrooms and carried out stern programmes on the streets throughout the country. On July 15, police baton charged a procession of Oikya Parishad at Muktangan leaving several teachers injured. Civil society and general people of the country condemned the police action and demanded punishment for the policemen responsible. After that the agitation took a different shape.

After a one-month strike in the educational institutions Education Minister Dr. Osman Faruk, on August 6, declared in a press conference that the govt. would pay cent percent basic salary. Prompt action by the govt. could avoid an unwanted situation.

We have a proud history of creating renowned scholars and teachers in this soil. Mahathir Shil Bhadra, of 6th century, of Samatat (Comilla, Chandina) and Atish Dipankar of Bikrampur were the chancellors of Nalanda University. Many scholars and researchers of today are working in different renowned universities of the world. Many wanted to stay in teaching in the country, but extremely low wages and lack of facilities forced them to go abroad. Thus we failed to stop the brain drain. Still it is not late to think over the matter emphatically. Government, civil society, development partners, politicians, parents and teachers themselves should ponder over the issue. It is the demand of the time.

Prof. M.A. Bari is General Secretary, Bangladesh College-University Teacher's Association.