Celebrating World Education Support Personnel Day: Recognizing Their Vital Role in Fostering Quality, Inclusive Education

Honoring World Education Support Personnel Day acknowledges their pivotal role in cultivating quality, inclusive education. This celebration highlights the vital contribution of these professionals in ensuring educational excellence and inclusivity for all learners.

Education International (EI) and its affiliated organizations emphasize the significant contribution of education professionals such as teaching assistants, school nurses, cafeteria workers, maintenance crews, and bus drivers on World Education Support Personnel (ESP) Day, May 16th. They underscore the crucial role these individuals play in maintaining quality education and fostering a secure learning atmosphere.

Ensuring respect for ESP rights

Every May 16th, Education Support Personnel (ESP) are honored for their indispensable contributions to maintaining high-quality education standards. However, Education International (EI) and its affiliates express concern over the growing trend of employing ESP on casual, part-time, or limited-term contracts. They highlight issues like exploitation, lack of decent working conditions, and violations of human and labor rights, including the right to collective bargaining.

Advocating for ESP rights, EI emphasizes the necessity for a safe and supportive work environment, professional guidance, and opportunities for career advancement. As integral members of the education sector, ESP should have the right to participate in decision-making processes, especially those impacting their roles directly.

EI General Secretary David Edwards emphasized the critical role of Education Support Personnel (ESP) in fostering a safe, inclusive, healthy, and positive learning atmosphere. He stressed that quality education is unattainable without their contribution and affirmed their entitlement to stable employment, fair wages, and favorable working conditions.

EI research

This year's World ESP Day will feature the release of the research paper titled "Carrying the Community: Addressing the Consequences of Privatisation and Funding Shortfalls for Education Support Personnel," authored by Lucas Cone and Anja Giudici. Registration for the launch event is available here.

The study reveals that precarious contracts result in heavy workloads and hinder the integration of ESP into the educational dimension of schools. In some cases, ESP roles are redefined as unnecessary or voluntary, leading to devaluation of their work and potential departure from the public education sector.

EI President Susan Hopgood emphasized the importance of respecting Education Support Personnel to achieve quality education worldwide. Education International urges governments to uphold their labor rights and recognize their status as valued education professionals.

Fund ESP!

The Aveiro Statement, adopted on May 18th, 2023, during the 2nd EI ESP Conference, underscores the imperative to invest in well-trained and qualified Education Support Personnel (ESP) with favorable working conditions to uphold quality education for all. It advocates for enhanced domestic and international public education financing, including specific funding for ESP, as part of EI's Go Public: Fund Education campaign.

Global acknowledgement

ESP's vital role in the education sector receives recognition at the highest international level.

The recommendations of the United Nations High-Level Panel on the teaching profession, released earlier this year with EI's input, emphasize that Education Support Personnel are essential workers in education. They should collaborate closely with teachers and receive comparable working conditions.

Learn more about EI's advocacy efforts and ESP members here.

Explore the toolkit we've prepared for commemorating World ESP Day.

Source: ei-ei