Education sector

Education and training have long been recognized as key drivers of social and economic development. The ILO supports international education goals through numerous decent work strategies, including combatting child labour, promoting social dialogue and freedom of association, and developing skills and employability strategies. The ILO also supports the key people who deliver education: teachers. Together with UNESCO, the ILO promotes principles of quality teaching through the Recommendation on the Status of Teachers. The Organization promotes decent work for teachers through two ILO/UNESCO Recommendations concerning teaching personnel, as well as the Joint ILO/UNESCO Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendations. It promotes vocational education and skills training to increase employability, combats HIV/AIDs which concerning Teaching Personnel. The ILO supports Teachers are the key people that deliver education. Today, both developing and developed countries are facing challenges in recruiting and retaining adequate numbers of teachers and trainers that can provide children and youth with the skills necessary to succeed in today’s global economy. This Handbook aims to provide practical guidelines and tools for policy makers, business leaders, trade unions, academics and educators involved in the critical task of developing the future generation of teachers.

Drawing on international good practices and cases studies, the Handbook provides guidance on human resources practices in the teaching profession in such areas as recruitment, career development, terms of employment, professional roles and responsibilities, salaries, hours of work, health and safety, learning conditions, social security, social dialogue, and teacher education and training. The Handbook reflects the principles of international standards related to teachers, including the ILO-UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of Teachers and the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel, as well as relevant international labour standards. The methods it outlines are intended to be applicable to all schools and education systems, and to be adapted to accommodate differences in resource availability, culture, ethnicity, gender, political and governance structures. Checklists, questions for reflection and text boxes illustrating country good practices and experiences provide opportunities for users to engage with and reflect on the content.

This Handbook was developed by the Sectoral Activities Department of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The ILO is a specialized agency in the United Nations family dedicated to promoting opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of social justice. Its Sectoral Activities Department supports this mandate by addressing social and labour issues in specific economic sectors, both at international and national levels.