From Global Commitment to National Practice: World Teachers’ Day in Bangladesh

From global commitment to national practice: World Teachers’ Day in Bangladesh

Bangladesh marks World Teachers’ Day across the country on 5 October, three years after the Cabinet placed the Day on its annual calendar. The 2026 observance also marks 60 years since the adoption of the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. The Recommendation remains a key international reference for teachers’ rights and responsibilities, professional preparation, recruitment, employment and teaching and working conditions. World Teachers’ Day has been observed worldwide since 1994 and is co-convened by UNESCO with the International Labour Organization, UNICEF and Education International.

Bangladesh’s journey towards institutionalizing the Day gained momentum in 2022. On 27 October that year, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), under the Ministry of Education, coordinated a nationwide Teachers’ Day celebration. DSHE and UNESCO Dhaka Office jointly supported the celebrations and the development of a roadmap to institutionalize the annual observance within government systems. UNESCO subsequently described Bangladesh’s institutionalization of the Day as part of efforts to strengthen recognition of the teaching profession.

This process led to an important policy milestone. In September 2023, the Cabinet decided that Bangladesh would observe World Teachers’ Day every year on 5 October, replacing National Teachers’ Day. The decision placed the global observance within the country’s formal annual calendar and established a basis for regular government-led celebrations.

Since then, the observance has continued to develop as a national platform for recognising teachers. The Government issued a celebration policy in 2024, national recognition was extended to 12 teachers in 2025 and the 2026 arrangements envisage recognition of teachers across the country. This progression from a global observance to a nationally coordinated initiative in 2022 and then to a formal annual government-led observance reflects a shared effort to strengthen the recognition and status of teachers in Bangladesh.

Teachers had marked the Day in Bangladesh before it became an annual national observance. A Ministry of Education description lists World Teachers’ Day among the international days observed by the Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO. During the reopening of schools in 2021, UNESCO Dhaka and a2i asked teachers to share videos about blended teaching and their wellbeing, as part of activities involving the education ministries and directorates. The call offered Huawei-supplied tablets for the 20 highest-ranked entries.

At the national ceremony on 5 October 2023, seven teachers were honoured. In a message for the occasion, Bangladesh’s then President described World Teachers’ Day as a UNESCO-declared observance. Susan Vize, then Officer in Charge of UNESCO Dhaka, took part as a Guest of Honour and spoke about the need to invest in skilled teachers.

The government issued a celebration policy in 2024 and 12 teachers received national honours in 2025. The 2026 policy plans recognition for 100 teachers, alongside celebrations beyond the national ceremony.

Iffat Jahan, an assistant teacher at Shah Government Primary School in Rangamati, received a national World Teachers’ Day award in 2025 in primary school category. She said the recognition made her feel more responsible for her teaching and deepened her love for the profession. She also hopes future selections will examine teachers’ work more closely at the local level to identify deserving recipients.

At the 2023 ceremony, Pollob Kumar Voumik, assistant headmaster of Shantipur High School in Khilgaon, said the Day “reminds us of our roles and responsibilities” toward the next generation. Ismot Ara Momotaz, a senior teacher at Government Laboratory High School, spoke of the recognition teachers seek: “Our only expectation is to get proper dignity and honour.”

Those concerns sit at the centre of UNESCO’s 2026 World Teachers’ Day message. It calls on policymakers and society to protect and advance teachers’ status, including their voice in education decisions and the conditions in which they work. Bangladesh’s 2026 celebration policy follows UNESCO’s global theme. Each 5 October is an opportunity to recognise teachers, hear what they need and bring their perspectives into decisions that shape education.