World Teachers’ Day is celebrated on October 5th every year. This year it will be celebrated on October 3, as October 5 is a Sunday. It is a day to reflect and celebrate the immense contribution of teachers to the education of our children.

This year’s theme is Teachers Matter! The theme reflects all that can be said about teachers. Teachers are the most important stakeholders in the process of nurturing our children.

It is a daunting task indeed, given the immense responsibility they have. A major one is to ensure that students achieve quality results. Our collective pursuit for quality education as a nation is not easy.

The teacher is the key factor in providing learning experiences for our children. The teaching and learning process is pivotal. It ensures our children’s success in pursuing their education goals. We salute all the teachers who are in the classrooms today, those that have retired and those who have left us.

I humbly call on parents, school managements and committees, villages and communities to wholeheartedly support our teachers. Our cooperation is one way of showing how much we appreciate them. We can do this by ensuring that teachers are provided with the best available resource and facilities.

To all our teachers, as you celebrate your day, I wish to reiterate the importance of your calling into this noble profession. The good seeds that you sow today will certainly be reaped tomorrow.

The mode of celebration this year will be school based. School managements, parents, teachers and students of all schools are encouraged to put their efforts together in organizing their school celebrations to acknowledge the contribution that teachers have made.

Celebrations should be centred round this theme “Teachers Matter”. Schools are to ensure that whatever programmes they implement they must ensure the safety and well being of students at all times.

The Ministry Head Quarters will be holding a celebration at the Marela House Conference Room, at 10.30 am on Friday.