The Varkey Foundation, which was initially known as the Varkey GEMS Foundation, is a global charitable organization focused on improving the standards of education for neglected children. It was formed in 2010 by Indian businessman Sunny Varkey, the founder and chairman of GEMS Education. It’s worth noting that GEMS Education is the world’s largest operator of kindergarten-to-grade-12 schools. The foundation’s main focus is on improving globally teacher capacity for training tens of thousands of teachers and principals in developing countries; also, providing access to education via a variety of programmes and projects. The foundation conducts research which helps to develop education policies worldwide.
For conducting research the Varkey Foundation has partnered with major global organizations such as UNESCO, UNICEF and Clinton Global Initiatives. In 2013 it launched the Global Education and Skills Forum, an annual education summit dedicated to addressing the world’s educational needs. After analyzing the public status of teachers worldwide, in 2014 it launched the annual Global Teacher Prize, a $1 million award to an outstanding pioneering teacher who has had an extensive impact on students.
Teaching as a process is so interwoven and complex, that it is difficult to be explained. It has three important sources. First and foremost, each subject taught is as large and complex as life, therefore mastering the subject is a continuous process; no matter how a teacher devotes himself/herself to reading and researching, teaching requires a command of content that always evades some student’s grasp. The students themselves are larger than life and even more complex. Teaching is not all that simple. Imagine world without teachers. And, does the world respect the teacher’s role in society? Where in the world are teachers most respected?
According to the 2018 Global Teacher Status Index, the countries that most respect their teachers are China, Malaysia and Taiwan; followed by Russia and Indonesia. Teachers in these countries are found to be highly respected and well-regarded. The teachers are paid handsomely in China and Malaysia. Other Asian countries in the top 10 list are Indonesia at number five, South Korea at number six, India at number eight, and Singapore at number ten.
In China, the survey found that 81 percent of people believed that pupils respect their teachers, compared with the international average of 36 percent. Respecting teachers and valuing education has been a fundamental social standard in China. Teaching is regarded as a noble profession as two old sayings go, “A teacher is supposed to impart knowledge, lead career development and resolve confusions and questions for students” and “A teacher for a day, a mentor for life.” There are more than 16 million full-time teachers in China that support the largest education system in the world, including 2.4 million for pre-primary education, 5.9 million for primary schools, 3.5 million for lower secondary schools, 1.8 million for upper secondary education, and 1.6 million for academic universities and colleges. The figure has been increasing on an annual basis.
It is worth noting here that the Chinese Government believes in scientific academic practices. The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is a publication that was originated and compiled by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University to rank universities globally. This ranking has been conducted since 2003. It is conducted annually on well-thought and strategic parameters. The results are published by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. This is one of its kind ranking. The Chinese Government backed this ranking to provide a global benchmark against the various universities in China; this practice has helped them assess their academic progress. The aim of the ARWU is for Chinese universities to do some hardcore and path breaking research in the area of higher education.
It is found that Malaysian teachers love their jobs and are among the most dedicated in the world for ensuring that their students excel academically. Germany is another country where teachers get paid handsomely. A feature of working as a teacher in Germany is, that all teachers should know and teach at least 2 subjects, as a rule. The best option would be if the specialist studied 2 subjects, for example Biology and Chemistry, as well as the methods of teaching them or pedagogy. A well informed and established gets the Government recognized diploma in Germany.
Teachers have the lowest social status in Argentina, Ghana, Brazil, the Czech Republic, and Italy. You will be surprised to note that In the U.S., Brazil, France, and Turkey, teachers are most often compared to librarians. In Greece, Egypt, Switzerland, and many other countries, teachers are seen as most like social workers.
The world requires good teachers to re-awaken the slumped and spoilt younger generation. In a way they have lost direction in life. The impact teachers have on student learning is greater than other factors that often govern public debate, such as class size, technology, individualized instruction, infrastructure, streaming by ability, marking system, changing school calendars or timetables etc. The pace of learning varies from student to student and this is understood by a good teacher. Too many talented teachers have left their careers for lack of respect. There is scarcity of good teachers in the world of education. Character building is foundation for building a nation, and this can be done only by teachers.
