What is Happening to Teachers?

Overcrowded classrooms, lack of recognition, stress-related issues… Reports from international organisations, government documents, and even media articles all agree that teaching is facing a difficult period. But how do those who deal with full classrooms and make decisions that shape both the present and the future of society experience it firsthand?

To answer this question, Education International (a trade union network operating across several continents) has published a study gathering the views and concerns of teachers. The report reflects the perspectives and feelings of this crucial sector, based on a large-scale survey conducted between April and June 2023. The survey covered teachers from 204 trade union organisations across 121 countries, supplemented by focus groups with volunteer teachers from Europe, Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America.

This article summarises, with the help of this report, teachers’ views on working conditions, professional recognition, mental health, and other key issues shaping the daily reality of educators worldwide.

An Inside Perspective: The Importance of Teachers’ Views

Most educational reports rely on official statistical data, such as public budgets or employment rates. While these figures are essential for understanding the economic and administrative aspects of teaching, they often overlook the concerns and aspirations of one of the most important players in education.

This report’s significance lies in its approach: the reality as perceived by teachers themselves. They describe firsthand how they experience their work environment, their concerns, and their ambitions. Sometimes, these perceptions do not fully align with government ministries or official figures, but that does not invalidate them. On the contrary, understanding the experiences of those in the classroom is essential to grasp why some leave the profession or what changes they demand to continue.

What are these concerns? How do teachers experience their daily work? What can we do to value one of the most important professions in society? Let’s explore.

Teacher Shortages: A Global Problem

One of the most pressing issues highlighted in the report is the lack of teaching staff, a phenomenon affecting multiple regions and educational levels. The shortage is not confined to low-resource areas; even in developed environments, many classrooms lack sufficient teachers. The report reveals that in certain countries, the training of new teachers does not compensate for the number of retirements or early departures from the profession.

This issue is particularly critical in secondary education for subjects such as mathematics, science, or information technology—fields crucial in an increasingly digital and connected world. What happens when a school cannot fill a maths teaching position for weeks or even months? It results in content delays, gaps in students’ learning, and a sense of instability that affects both pupils and active teachers.

The situation is even more precarious in special education. Finding qualified teachers to support children with disabilities is challenging, exacerbating the exclusion of a group that, without proper support, is often left behind. A trade union representative from Africa points out that many colleagues manage very large groups without receiving additional training to support students needing differentiated attention.

The report identifies several reasons for this shortage:

• Insufficient pay. In many countries, teachers’ salaries are lower than those in professions requiring similar educational levels. This imbalance reduces the appeal of the career, especially for those with expertise in high-demand scientific or technological fields.
• Overwhelming workloads and lack of administrative support. Chronic exhaustion, stress, and psychological strain lead many young teachers to reconsider their future soon after starting their careers. A primary school teacher in Africa recounts having to manage three groups of more than 80 students each, describing how a colleague considered taking their own life due to pressure.
• Limited career progression. In some countries, education systems do not provide clear pathways for career advancement, leading to demotivation and, in many cases, resignation.

In most analysed regions, early attrition among new teachers is more significant than a lack of interest in studying education. The turnover becomes a vicious cycle: young teachers face an overwhelming workload, leading them to leave the system without proper support.

Listening to Teachers: The Key to Educational Transformation

A teacher who feels voiceless in the face of top-down educational reforms has little room to implement meaningful pedagogical improvements. This is why freedom of expression and teacher participation in decision-making processes are crucial elements of the profession.

Too often, decisions are made in offices far removed from classroom realities, leading to curricula or methodologies that fail to address basic educational needs. How can strategies to improve teaching be proposed without consulting those at the forefront? This disconnect directly impacts teachers’ motivation, as they feel they have little influence over their work environment.

Education International’s report is clear: any educational reform that disregards teachers’ opinions is doomed to fail.

The Status of the Profession: Do Teachers Deserve More Recognition?

Anyone who has spoken to a long-serving teacher knows that the social treatment they receive is often lacking. Paradoxically, while society acknowledges that education is essential for progress, teachers are not granted the same prestige as scientific or technological professionals.

As the report highlights, this can be observed in media portrayals across many countries, where teachers are sometimes blamed for poor academic performance or student discipline issues, without considering that a lack of resources and precarious working conditions are at the root of many of these problems.

Working Conditions and Emotional Well-being

Teachers’ struggles extend beyond low salaries. The report highlights that, in many regions, working hours exceed official schedules due to exam marking, lesson planning, and bureaucratic tasks. Primary and secondary educators describe endless weekends and late nights spent on duties outside the classroom, leaving little room for personal life.

In some areas, violence and harassment pose serious threats. Some teachers report receiving threats from students’ families or even facing physical aggression. Such experiences take a severe toll on educators’ mental and physical health, with insufficient support structures in place.

Is it reasonable for those educating the next generation to live on the brink of exhaustion? The report prompts reflection: teachers’ well-being directly impacts education quality, yet this human aspect often remains in the background of public debates.

Inequality in Education: The Eternal Resource Gap

Another issue that the document addresses in detail is the lack of resources in many schools, a factor that determines significant differences between institutions in different environments. There are cases where, in rural areas of Africa or Latin America, a classroom may have only one textbook for all students, while schools in wealthier areas have interactive whiteboards and high-speed internet access.

Some unions warn that in poorer regions, the teaching profession becomes an exercise in endurance. The list of deficiencies includes basic teaching materials, laboratories, computer equipment, and even minimal safety or sanitation conditions. These inequalities create a vicious cycle: where there are fewer resources, teachers feel more unprotected, and their profession suffers greater discredit.

What Can We Do?

All proposed solutions must start from the recognition that without sufficiently valued and supported teachers, achieving quality education for the entire population is complicated. From this premise, the report proposes:

Making Teaching an Attractive Profession

One of the main goals is to ensure that teaching is a career option as valid as others. To achieve this, it is suggested to establish policies that improve salaries so that they are on par with professions requiring similar educational qualifications. It is also recommended to boost public campaigns that highlight the importance of teaching so that the profession can regain the social recognition it has had at other points in history.

Giving a Voice to Those Who Teach

The need for governments to legally recognize teachers’ ability to defend their interests without fear of retaliation is emphasized, as well as the establishment of regular mechanisms for collective bargaining. A teacher who experiences institutional support can propose adapted curricula, create new methodologies, and share experiences that enrich the educational system.

Reviewing the Professional Career Path

The document proposes designing career paths that allow for continuous knowledge updates. Teachers demand ongoing training in digital skills, new pedagogies, and emotional well-being tools. The idea is that they do not remain stuck in the traditional model but can evolve along with the changing needs of students.

Reducing Overload and Promoting Well-being

Reducing administrative burdens, setting clear limits on working hours, and providing psychological support are among the recommendations. This measure aims to curb the early abandonment of the profession and create a context in which teachers feel energized and motivated to innovate.

Ensuring Equitable Funding

It is imperative (as the study highlights) that governments allocate educational budgets based on principles of social justice. Schools in vulnerable areas cannot be neglected. Likewise, it is warned that the expansion of the private sector must be regulated in such a way that socioeconomic disparities do not increase.

A Message of Hope

The Global Status of Teachers 2024 presents a complex picture of the teaching profession in numerous countries, with personal experiences that illustrate universal problems. The report lists deficiencies and challenges that may discourage new generations from stepping into the classroom. However, there is also a message of hope: if education systems implement changes that respond to the voices of those who teach, the profession can recover part of the energy and dignity it has always deserved.

The value of this report lies in presenting a vision based on the real experiences and difficulties of thousands of teachers worldwide. This is not an isolated issue in a specific country but a recurring situation, with its own nuances in each place, yet sharing a common root: the lack of recognition and support that teachers receive.

We live in a turbulent century full of uncertainties. Perhaps one of the few certainties it offers us, though we may not always see it, is that without motivated and well-prepared education professionals, the future of any society is at risk.

Will the time come when teachers receive the support they need to guide future generations? The report leaves the door open to the possibility of real reforms if different stakeholders (governments, unions, civil society) decide to take a step forward and recognize that teaching is, in every sense, one of the most valuable professions in existence.