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Tribune News Network
Doha
COLLEGE of the North Atlantic - Qatar (CNA-Q), in partnership with the UNESCO Doha Office and the Qatar National Committee of Science, Education and Culture, recently hosted a successful World Teachers' Day event.
Dr Anna Paolini, director and UNESCO representative of the Arab States in the Gulf and Yemen, presented a joint message on behalf of UNESCO, UNICEF, ILO, UNDP and Education International on the occasion of this year's World Teachers' Day. She highlighted the important role of teachers to realise the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals and appealed to partners in governments and across the education and private sectors to commit to building a highly skilled, valued and empowered education workforce.
The keynote address for the programme was presented by Dr John Fien, professor of Practice at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. His address focused on the topic: 'Why excellent teachers and trainers are essential to achieve high quality, relevant and effective schooling for all'.
Following the keynote speaker, a series of panel presentations focused on topics relevant to teachers and educators in Qatar.
Later in the day, about 300 K-12 teachers attended a workshop to learn more about integrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) into the classroom.
The workshop was credited towards teachers' professional development hours.
For CNA-Q's faculty, the theme of the afternoon session was 'Stories of Empowerment: Reflections from the Classroom', a moderated panel session comprised of CNA-Q alumni and faculty members who shared inspirational stories of real life experiences as teachers and learners.
"I cannot think of a better place to host a World Teachers' Day event than here at our college, a centre of excellence in technical and vocational education and training in Qatar. CNA-Q is a leader for teacher empowerment and student success," said Dr Ken MacLeod, president of CNA-Q.
"Through our strong and fruitful partnerships with QNCSEC and the UNESCO Doha Office, CNA-Q is proud to bring such fulfilling events to teachers from the education sector. I am pleased to say that because of our philosophy regarding experiential teaching and learning, the CNA-Q is the official site of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Center for Qatar, which is dedicated to enhancing and solidifying the role of TVET in Qatar. We also hold the UNESCO Research Chair on TVET and Sustainable Development," he added.
Dr Paolini highlighted the importance of World Teachers' Day by stating:"Join us in empowering teachers to teach in freedom so that, in turn, every child and every adult is free to learn. The UNESCO Education programme highlights the important role of teachers in realising SDG 4, which envisions a world in which every girl, boy, woman and man has access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities."
