Teachers all over the world celebrated World Teachers’ Day last Monday. According to UNESCO, "World Teachers’ Day represents a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development.” I consider this day as a very special moment for the public to reflect on the teachers’ contribution to the transformation of society.

When I was still young, I did know how important a teacher could be in shaping one’s destiny. We used to have teachers at primary level who would put a lot of pressure on us to work hard but we could not figure out why they were more concerned about our future than some of our parents. It was until I joined the university that I was able to realise why our teachers at primary and secondary level were not patient with students who did not work hard. The academic journey is quite long and challenging to the learners whereby it requires teachers to possess a high sense of commitment. Teachers put service above self and by so doing, they are able to inculcate knowledge, skills and values which are vital in the social, political and economic transformation of the world.

Meaningful socio-economic development occurs as a result of the relentless efforts that educators put in at all levels of education to equip young people with appropriate skills. In order to have more efficient doctors, engineers, technicians, journalists, social workers, entrepreneurs and leaders among others, there is need to offer the necessary support to the educators so as to motivate them to do a good job in the classroom. It is the quality of work done in the classroom that can produce professionals who are competent enough to work efficiently in the various sectors of the economy. All education stakeholders need to focus on the quality and motivation of the teachers because their input determines the level of productivity of graduates who join the field of work.

Education stakeholders need to play their roles in ensuring that teachers are supported to do their work with diligence. The policy makers should assess the level of motivation of teachers so that interventions are made to boost their morale. As we change the curricula at primary and high school levels, we should remember that the teachers’ welfare needs to be improved as well to motivate them to work efficiently. A mere change of curricula may not bring about the desired results given the fact that teachers are the ones who have to apply the changes adopted and if their morale is boosted, everything moves in the right direction.

Parents should make sure that they interact closely with teachers to be updated about the progress and conduct of their children in schools. One of the biggest challenges that teachers face is the lack of adequate support from parents. Teachers always set certain standards that students are expected to adhere to in order to excel but sometimes they face resistance from the students and some parents do not cooperate with the teachers to enforce the set standards. If we are to have young people who are very productive and creative in the field of work, parents have to work closely with educators to demand for accountability from the learners. This is one way through which we can compel the young people to work hard for excellence. This strategy can also help to harmonize the relationship between teachers and learners which in some cases becomes tense and results into violence. With maximum cooperation between parents and teachers, cases of animosity involving students and their teachers can be minimized.

To increase productivity of teachers, there is need to provide more incentives that boost their morale. I acknowledge the fact that it may be hard to upgrade the teachers’ salaries by a bigger percentage in the short run but I think that it is possible to provide more funds in their savings associations so that a sizeable number of them have access to loans that can be used to create some side income. Attempts should also be made to equip teachers with some tips in entrepreneurship so that they are capable of coming up with good business plans. If one gets a loan when he does not have adequate business skills, he cannot easily create a viable business. I have seen several teachers who have become successful in business when they still go to class to teach and I believe that such people can act as mentors for the rest of the teachers by sharing their stories about how they have been able to establish vibrant investments. Over dependency on salary is one of the major challenges that teachers face today and I believe that this can change if teachers are given more opportunities to access soft loans for investment.

All education stakeholders should continue supporting teachers in all ways possible to motivate them to empower young people with skills that will help in accelerating development.

The writer is an English Language Instructor at Akilah Institute for Women.