A teacher and student work together on an assignment in the Phillippines.

World Teachers' Day: Celebrating Educators Everywhere

September 18, 2026

Courtney Busch

Highlights

World Teachers’ Day, observed Oct. 5, honors educators and their impact on children’s learning and development.
Teachers and safe schools give children opportunities to learn, build relationships and find stability, including during emergencies.
UNICEF supports education through teacher training, learning materials, safe classrooms and programs for disadvantaged and crisis-affected children.

World Teachers’ Day recognizes the contributions and impact of educators on children’s learning and development. UNICEF believes that all children have the right to quality education, and that can’t be accomplished without exceptional teachers.

For children everywhere, school represents so much more than just a classroom. It’s a chance to learn, grow and evolve. A chance to see friends and build relationships. A chance for normalcy and routine, no matter what else is going on in their lives.

Teachers create opportunities for children to develop and thrive. World Teachers’ Day honors that incredibly important work.

When is Teachers’ Day?

World Teachers’ Day is observed every year on Oct. 5.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, established World Teachers' Day in 1994 to honor educators and evaluate the state of the teaching profession.

In the United States, National Teachers’ Day is observed on the Tuesday of Teacher Appreciation Week, which falls on the first full week of May. Many other countries celebrate teachers and educators on different dates throughout the year.

Yao Yao, a volunteer teacher, with his students in the remote village of Benjaminkro, south-western Côte d’Ivoire. — Yao Yao, a volunteer teacher, guides students through a lesson in the remote village of Benjaminkro in southwestern Côte d’Ivoire, where UNICEF and partners support a flexible community-based education program designed to bring learning to children excluded from formal schooling. By profession, Yao is a cocoa and rubber farmer. He was inspired to take a 10-day training course to help educate the children in his community. “I saw too many children in the village without access to education,” he explains. “Some schools were too far away, and many families did not have the means to send their children. I wanted to do something for their future.” © UNICEF/UN0881294/Dejongh

Why do we celebrate Teachers’ Day?

World Teachers’ Day recognizes the contributions and impact of educators on children’s learning and development.

UNICEF believes that all children have the right to quality education, and that can’t be accomplished without exceptional teachers and child-friendly schools.

UNICEF leverages innovation and partnerships to support teachers and children’s education globally through a plethora of programs.

How UNICEF supports teachers and children's education

Whether it's UNICEF works with local, national and global partners to ensure all children have access to a quality education. That includes:

setting up temporary classrooms in the middle of a crisis
distributing books and other learning materials to students
providing teachers with training and materials
strengthening or rebuilding educations systems

In places where poverty, displacement, cultural norms and other barriers prevent children from accessing education, UNICEF works with governments and partners to provide learning opportunities, focusing on the most disadvantaged and hard-to-reach children.

Through engagement, advocacy and donor support in the United States, UNICEF USA is able to support UNICEF’s efforts in education and across other key program areas.

Learn more about how UNICEF helps children get back to school

A mother and teacher stands with one of her students in a UNICEF-supported school that doubles as her workplace and home. — Alawiya, a mother and teacher, stands with one of her pupils at Al Zahra Primary School, in Central Darfur, Sudan. Alawiya and her children were forced to flee Al Fasher as violent conflict escalated. While the school is her workplace during the day, at night it is her home. © UNICEF/UNI918158/Jamal

For children affected by conflict, climate-related disasters and other crises that close schools and otherwise disrupt children's education, teachers and alternative safe learning environments help children find support, get back into a routine and restore hope.

The UNICEF-supported Al Zahra Primary School, in Central Darfur, Sudan, is an example of the impact teachers and education can have. UNICEF support has made it possible for the school to keep running even through crisis.

“Education is important in the life of the individual and in the life of communities," says Alawiya, a teacher who also lives at the school with her four children and four other families after being displaced by Sudan's ongoing conflict. "To rise from this tragic situation, there is no way but through education."

Protecting Children's Education in Emergencies

How can I celebrate Teachers’ Day?

There are many great ways to say “Happy Teachers’ Day” to educators who have made a difference in your life and in the lives of others.

You can send a personal thank-you note, share a specific example of a teacher’s impact on your social media or participate in a community event recognizing local teachers.

Want to give something tangible?

Purchasing UNICEF’s Inspired Gifts helps support UNICEF's work around the world including programs that support teachers and their students.

Gift options range from a box of 1,000 pencils to a Math Teaching Kit that includes all materials for 23 students.

Support children’s education around the world

Frequently asked questions about World Teachers’ Day

When is World Teachers' Day?

World Teachers' Day is Oct. 5. This international observance is a day to recognize all the ways educators are transforming education and children’s lives, while also reflecting on the support they need and the future of the teaching profession globally.

When is National Teachers’ Day in the United States?

National Teachers Day is observed on the Tuesday of Teacher Appreciation Week, which falls during the first full week of May. The day was established in 1953 after First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a day honoring educators and their impact on children’s education.

Why do we celebrate Teachers’ Day?

Celebrating World Teachers’ Day is important not only to recognize the work and dedication of teachers, but also to shine a spotlight on the support and materials that they need to be able to provide quality education to children all over the world.

How does UNICEF support teachers and children's education?

UNICEF supports education through initiatives such as teacher training, learning materials, safe learning environments and education programs for children affected by emergencies and other barriers. Learn more about UNICEF’s work to support children’s education.

TOP PHOTO: Roberto, a 5th grader, receives one-on-one instruction from teacher Grezel Hinampas at Magobawok Elementary School in Bayabas, Surigao del Sur, Philippines as part of a UNICEF-supported program focused on academic recovery and accessible learning. © UNICEF/UN0919520/Pineda

HOW TO HELP

There are many ways to make a difference

War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.

Would you like to help give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential? There are many ways to get involved.