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Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter 

TEACHERS in Zimbabwe on Saturday joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Teachers’ Day, with this year’s celebrations focusing on young educators as the future of the profession.

In a statement, the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) called on young teachers to embrace the theme “Young teachers –the future of the profession”, as it spoke to their future and their well-being as well as that of future generations.

“As a union, it is our conviction that young teachers are indeed the future of inclusive quality education because without teachers, it will be impossible for the world to attain its developmental goals or the 2030 Agenda. 

“It’s therefore crucial that young teachers’ needs, such as modern learning and teaching equipment and ICT technology is provided in schools to enable them to meet the goals of quality teaching and learning,” read the statement.

The association said the goals have to be equitable and sustainable as alluded to by the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number four, which states that governments must ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

“Zimta is of the view that young teachers are better placed to see through the achievement of SDG4. Young teachers’ aspirations are better met when they become part of the union so that they can be equipped with modern narratives, research findings and knowledge that assist them to tackle future challenges.

“However, in Zimbabwe, the drawbacks for young teachers are too much as the majority of them have remained unemployed after graduating from the country’s colleges,” read the statement.

Global Unions general secretary Mr David Edwards called on all governments worldwide to make teaching a profession of first choice for young people.

“With the theme: “Young teachers: the future of the profession,” we stress the critical importance of reaffirming the status, value and attractiveness of the teaching profession for young people everywhere.

“We call upon Governments to make teaching a profession of first choice for young people. We celebrate the work of dedicated teachers around the world who continue to fight every day to ensure that inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of life-long learning opportunities for all become a reality in every corner of the globe,” said Mr Edwards.

He said one of the Global Unions’ partners, Education International (EI), launched a report “Young member recruitment, participation and representation in education unions”.

“While the study’s findings show that many                         EI member organisations have made greater efforts to organise young workers in the last few years, they also confirm that many unions find it difficult to recruit and retain young and early-stage teachers, researchers and education support personnel. 

“It’s imperative for unions to better understand the issues faced by the young teachers, and to respond collectively,” said Mr Edwards. — @pamelashumba1