Expert: Prof. Jordan Naidoo
Role:Distinguished Professor at UNESCO-TEC.Former Acting Director of UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), Director of the Division for Education 2030 Support and Coordination at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, and Senior Education Advisor at UNICEF.
Impact: With over three decades of experience in international education development, Prof. Naidoo has been deeply engaged in global education governance and policy processes, and has played an important role in shaping the Incheon Declaration and the Education 2030 Framework for Action, as well as in advancing the global agenda for sustainable development in education.
Editor's Note
How can education systems transform and ensure equity and quality in an increasingly uncertain world? Teachers are a critical variable. Drawing on extensive cross-cultural experience in international education, Prof. JordanNaidoo argues that teachers are central to thesuccess ofeducational change. In this article, he shares his reflections on the evolving role of teachers and the challenges of teacher development in the current global context.
Over the past decade, global education has been shaped by forces that are no longer abstract or distant. Artificial intelligence, climate change, protracted conflict, demographic shifts, and rising inequality are not “future trends” — they are already reshaping classrooms, schools, and education globally.
Yet in many policy discussions, these changes are still framed at a high level: strategies, frameworks, roadmaps. What often gets lost is a simpler question: what do these global shifts actually mean for teachers and for everyday teaching and learning practices?
In my work across UNESCO, UNICEF, and fragile and conflict-affected contexts, one lesson has become increasingly clear. Education systems do not adapt to change on their own. They adapt — or fail to adapt — through teachers.
Teachers are being asked to do more than ever before: integrate digital tools responsibly, support students’ social and emotional development, respond to learning gaps worsened by crises, and prepare learners for uncertain futures. Yet too often, they are expected to do this without adequate professional support, time, or trust.
Technology offers powerful possibilities, but it also raises new risks. Artificial intelligence can personalize learning and reduce administrative burdens, but without thoughtful integration, it can widen inequalities, deskill teaching, and undermine teacher well-being. Climate education is essential, but it cannot be reduced to adding new content without supporting teachers to navigate complex, sometimes politically sensitive conversations. Conflict and displacement demand trauma-informed approaches, yet many teachers receive little preparation for this reality.
What matters most in times of rapid change is not the number of reforms introduced, but the coherence between policy, curriculum, teacher development, and classroom practice. Short-term projects and isolated innovations rarely lead to lasting improvement. Sustainable change requires long-term investment in teachers as professionals, not just implementers.
As global pressures intensify, the question facing education systems is no longer whether change is needed in teacher education. It is whether teachers are being equipped — intellectually, professionally, and emotionally — to lead that change in their own classrooms.
Teacher development and support is the quiet engine that determines whether global ambitions translate into meaningful learning for every child, and must be a priority as we ensure that education systems are resilient and future-ready.
Editor: HAN Baiqing
