Resource guide on the education sector

"Education provides basic literacy, numeracy and initial learning skills to most or all of a country’s population, and imparts higher levels of knowledge, learning abilities and life skills to a relatively large part of the population in most countries. It also serves as a socializing institution, and passes along cultural, political and moral values essential for democratic and socially cohesive societies. The main providers of education are public and private sector teachers supported by administrative and support personnel in national education systems. A sufficient quantity of highly-trained, qualified teachers, paid well and working in effective teaching and learning conditions and professionally supported to carry out their tasks constitutes the single most important factor in educational success."

ILO Sectoral Activities Departement: Education sector

On this page: Find information on the education sector through Labordoc • International Labour Standards • Statistics • In the media • Key ILO documents • ILO databases • ILO links • External links • Photos • Videos

Find information on the education sector through Labordoc

Teaching and training personnel

By theme

By region

Education and training

By theme

By region

International Labour Standards

ILO and UNESCO standards on teachers

• Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (ILO/UNESCO) (pdf 362 KB), 1966
• Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel (UNESCO), 1997

Conventions

• C140 Paid Educational Leave Convention, 1974
• C142 Human Resources Development Convention, 1975
• C159 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983

Recommendations

• R136 Special Youth Schemes Recommendation, 1970
• R148 Paid Educational Leave Recommendation, 1974
• R168 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Recommendation, 1983
• R195 Human Resources Development Recommendation, 2004

Fundamental Conventions

• C029 Forced Labour Convention, 1930
• C087 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948
• C098 Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949
• C100 Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951
• C105 Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957
• C111 Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958
• C138 Minimum Age Convention, 1973
• C182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999

International labour standards can be found in the NORMLEX database.

Statistics

• LABORSTA: Employment and hours of work, by economic activity (including education and training) (Excel 5.2 MB)
• LABORSTA: Employees, hours of work and earnings, by economic activity (including education and training) (Excel 4.7 MB)


• UNESCO Institute for statistics: Statistics on teachers
• UNESCO Institute for statistics: Statistics on higher education
• World Bank: Education statistics
• European Commission: Statistics on education and training
• OECD: Online education dababase

In the media

News

• Teaching entrepreneurship to high school students, 15 July 2011
• 8 countries to discuss improving education, training for persons with disabilities, 28 March 2011
• Empowering ex-child labourers with vocational training, 11 March 2011
• ILO says education is the “right response” to child labour, 11 June 2008

Articles

• Training better supervisors means better business for Cambodia’s factories, 12 April 2011
• Teachers and trainers for the future: vocational training in a changing world, 30 September 2010
• Eliminating child labour in Bolivia: the role of education, 7 June 2010

Statements and speeches

• Joint Message from UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, ILO and Education International on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, 5 October 2011 (pdf 71 KB)