Valuing Teachers’ Voices in Educational Reform: A Path to Achieving Global and National Sustainable Development Goals

This chapter explores teachers' pivotal role in achieving global and national sustainable development goals, particularly focusing on SDG 4: Quality Education. It emphasizes the importance of valuing teachers' voices in shaping educational reforms, specifically focusing on the 2024 World Teachers’ Day theme, “Valuing Teachers' Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education”. The chapter examines the critical contributions of teachers as societal pillars who shape students' academic abilities and their ethical, moral, and emotional growth. It addresses the global teacher shortage, low salaries, poor working conditions, and lack of professional development, highlighting their impact on recruitment, retention, and educational outcomes. The chapter further explores the unique challenges faced by Bangladesh in teacher recruitment and development and proposes solutions for improving teacher quality, status, and professional empowerment. Ultimately, it calls for a new social contract for education, empowering teachers as key stakeholders in educational policy and reform.