On October 5, 1966, the Special Intergovernmental Conference on the Status of Teachers in Paris, France, was closed and the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers was signed by representatives of UNESCO and the International Labour Organization. Twenty-seven years later, UNESCO elected to commemorate the importance of the recommendation by designating October 5 as World Teachers’ Day, a day devoted to appreciating teachers the world over.
Since its inception in 1994, World Teachers’ Day has grown into a celebration of and for more than 32 million teachers in over 170 countries around the world. Through activities ranging from students writing letters to their favourite teachers to national holidays in some countries, the world community has been showing its appreciation for the vital contributions that teachers make to society.