91�鶹������Ʒ����

The 7th International policy dialogue forum of the International Task Force on Teachers for Education for All (EFA) opened in Rabat, Morocco on December 16 to discuss the place of Teachers in the Post-2015 Education agenda.

The forum was opened by the Minister of Education and Vocational Training of the kingdom of Morocco in presence of over 250 delegates, of more than 60 nationalities from all regions of the world and included members of the diplomatic community.

Addressing the audience, Mr. Rachid Benmokhtar, highlighted the timeliness of this meeting at a period when the world’s community is engaged in defining the type of education we want for the next few decades. Schools, he said, need to change to adapt to the realities of today and encompass how people learn. Teachers and teacher educators are the first people to train to lead this educational revolution. He hailed UNESCO and its partners for their foresight in pushing for a target on teachers in the new education and sustainable development agenda. He commanded the Teacher Task Force for convening policy-makers, practitioners, researchers and teacher organizations for sharing their knowledge and experiences on current and emerging issues around the teaching profession, promising the support of his government for a successful forum.

Also speaking at the opening, UNESCO representative and Director of the Cluster Office of Rabat for the Maghreb, Mr. Michael Millward, thanked the Minister and his government for hosting the forum; he indicated that teachers are a priority in UNESCO’s programme. The Norwegian co-chair of the Task Force, Mr. Dankert Vedeler, provided background information on the Task Force initiative and on the process leading to the adoption of a new Sustainable Development Agenda, which he hopes will provide an appropriate place for teachers.

Before the closing of the ceremony, the Head of the Task Force Secretariat, Dr. Edem Adubra introduced the programme of the forum and outlined other meetings the organization will hold in Rabat this week to discuss how the status of teachers can be improved. A Guide for the development of Teacher Policy will be validated in a workshop on December 18 and an initiative on Teacher Management in Fragile States will be jointly coordinated with the Ministry of Education of Liberia – this will be launched during an Experts meeting on December 18 and 19.