According to The World Economic Forum, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected a disproportionate weight on teachers. The article sheds light on, not only the health risk that was imposed on teachers to keep teaching in the midst of the pandemic; but also on the detrimental effects of their mental health. In fact, 80% of teachers have declared to have known an impact on their mental health, due to the pandemic. Additionally, the transition to online teaching was expected to be made swiftly, without the understanding of the challenges this implied on teachers.
Certainly, this information would convert into adequate financial compensation, so as to match the personal cost as well as reflect the importance of the profession itself. Such a time has made clear our reliance, both as systems and individuals, on teachers. In addition, a higher salary and improved working conditions will likely attract higher-quality teachers, positively influencing students’ learning.
However, this article spells out the clear variation between lower secondary teachers’ starting salaries across OECD countries in 2021. Specifically, we find the most distinct gap between Luxembourg that is close to $80k, and Brazil that is around $15K per year. It is upon this understanding that UN agencies (UNESCO, UNICEF, and the International Labour Organisation) have requested increased compensation for teachers on World Teachers’ Day, 5 October 2021
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/teachers-pay-countries-salaries-education/
By Maya Shaw
The cover photo is taken from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/more-than-80-of-teachers-say-the-pandemic-has-hurt-their-mental-health
Table is taken from: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/b35a14e5-en.pdf?expires=1640638137&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=95C1B13D56ADDB9B52D8C95B00B94F47
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