Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of UN
The United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has called for the need to dramatically scale-up investment in education, technologies and training systems worldwide.
According to him, this is needed in order to aid teachers in providing inclusive and flexible learning opportunities for young people no matter their geographical location or social standings thus helping students gain the necessary skills needed to be efficient in the workforce.
The UN Secretary General also added that educational advancement cannot be achieved without the input of teachers as they stand at the forefront of equipping young people with quality education, training, and skills that are essential for the development of the world.
He, therefore, advised leaders to ensure that teachers gain educational and professional development opportunities needed so as to help young people make the transition from school to the workplace.
Antonio Guterres shared this information on the 2023 World Youth Skills Day which was celebrated under the theme, ‘Skilling Teachers, Trainers, and Youth for a Transformative Future.’
The day is commemorated annually to highlight the essential role that teachers, trainers and other educators play in providing skills for youth to transition to the labour market and to actively engage in their communities and societies.
The UN Secretary General stated that young people have faced rapid technological advancements, an accelerated changing job market, demographic shifts, climate challenges, and learning losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This, according to him, therefore calls for leaders to ensure the proper upgrade of teachers so as to help the youth catch up and overcome the setbacks that have been caused by the pandemic.
“Humanity’s future depends on the boundless energy, ideas and contributions of young people. On this day, and every day, let’s stand with teachers as they, in turn, help young people gain the education and skills required to shape a better, more sustainable future for us all,” he stated.