TRIBUTE PAID TO COMMONWEALTH TEACHERS

World Teachers´ Day was celebrated around the globe on Sunday, 5 October
2003. To mark the occasion, the Commonwealth Secretariat hosted a Tribute
to Commonwealth Teachers at its headquarters in London, UK, on 3 October.
This was the first such event hosted by the Secretariat, which intends to
make the event an annual one.

At the ceremony, Professor Lalage Bown of the UK was honoured for her
decades of work as a teacher in various Commonwealth countries,
particularly in Africa. Several members of staff at the Secretariat also
paid tribute to their favourite teachers.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General urged all Commonwealth citizens,
institutions and organisations to lend their support to
teachers: "Increased access, expanded inclusion and higher levels of
achievement in Commonwealth education cannot be attained without good
teachers! I would like, therefore, to encourage all our partners, in
government, civil society, academia and the private sector, to assist
Commonwealth teachers in every way they can.

"The more resources and support teachers have, the better equipped they are
to prepare the younger generation. And the better prepared young people
are, the more likely they are to find their way in the world and find a way
to a better future for all."

As well as praising the service provided by Commonwealth teachers, the
ceremony also acknowledged the difficulties faced by many. In an address,
Dr Henry Kaluba, Head of the Education Section of the Secretariat,
said: "As we celebrate the achievements and contribution to society of our
teachers, let us not forget that there are still many teachers and schools
across the Commonwealth that are working under difficult circumstances." Dr
Kaluba cited the lack of basic tools such as chalk and blackboards and the
fact that HIV/AIDS claims the lives of thousands of teachers around the
Commonwealth every year.

Professor Bown, Tasmir Jallow, Deputy High Commissioner to the UK for The
Gambia, and Steve Sinnott, Deputy General Secretary of the National Union
of Teachers (UK), also delivered addresses in recognition of the
contribution Commonwealth teachers make to their societies.

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