Teachers: changing lives (The UNESCO Courier no. 4, October-December 2019)

Certainly, everyone recognizes the key role teachers play. On a personal level, we can all name at least one teacher who made a difference – sometimes to such an extent that it redirected our whole lives. At the international level, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goal 4 in particular, recognize the importance of teachers in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030. Yet, the profession is being undermined. The development of cognitive neuroscience and the many applications of new technologies in the field of education are forcing the profession to adapt and reinvent itself.