World Teachers' Day 2026 is on Monday

About World Teachers' Day

World Teachers' Day recognizes teachers at every level, from early childhood to higher education, and looks at the pressures on the profession, including pay, workloads and new demands from digital technology, climate change and migration. Students and parents use it to thank teachers, while governments and teachers' unions use it to discuss policy.

The date commemorates October 5, 1966, when the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers was adopted. The recommendation set benchmarks for teachers' rights and responsibilities, their initial and ongoing training, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. A companion recommendation covering higher-education teaching staff followed in 1997. UNESCO has celebrated World Teachers' Day since 1994.

UNESCO co-convenes the day with the International Labour Organization, UNICEF and Education International, the global federation of teachers' unions. The 2026 observance marked the 60th anniversary of the 1966 recommendation, which is being revised, and focused on protecting and raising the status of the profession. UNESCO also uses the day to present the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development, which reached its ninth edition in 2026. Many countries also have their own national teachers' days on other dates.

Sources: UNESCO: World Teachers' Day. How we check dates.

How to mark World Teachers' Day

• Write a specific thank-you note to a current or former teacher about something they did that made a difference.
• Ask your child's teacher what supplies or volunteer help the classroom needs.
• Attend a school board meeting to learn how decisions about staffing and pay are made.
• Share a story about a teacher who changed your path, with their permission if you name them.
• If you teach, reach out to a newer colleague and offer to share lesson materials or advice.

World Teachers' Day dates