President Irfaan Ali’s Message on World Teachers’ Day

The Hands that Uplift Entire Generations

I am pleased to join with the international community in commemorating World Teachers’ Day 2025.  I extend best wishes to teachers around the world, but especially to the teachers of Guyana who stand at the front of classrooms and, in so doing, at the heart of our nation’s future.

On this day, we recognise and herald all of our teachers. We acknowledge that every success story in this country begins with a teacher. Our teachers are the hands that lift up entire generations.

But in celebrating our teachers, we must also face the truth that our children deserve not just education, but quality education. And quality comes from trained teachers. It is not enough to place a person in front of a blackboard; we must place skill, care, and professionalism there. Our children deserve no less than the best. This is why my government has set a clear and firm goal: by the end of 2026, every teacher will either be trained or in training.

When I speak about the need for trained teachers, it comes from both policy and personal experience. I know the sacrifices behind the title ‘teacher,’ because I saw them lived out in my own home. Both of my parents were teachers. I grew up watching them prepare lessons late into the night, marking papers, and carrying their commitment far beyond the classroom. And doing all of this while juggling the responsibilities of parenthood and family life. From them, I learned that teaching is more than a job; it is a labour of love.

Teachers do not just pass on knowledge; they light the flame of possibility in young minds. That is why preparation matters so much. Preparation is respect for the subject, for the classroom, and for the child. Students know when their teachers are ready, and they respond with energy and curiosity.

Timely marking of scripts and assignments is just as important. It tells students that their work matters and their effort counts. Feedback is the bridge between effort and improvement. When feedback comes quickly, it builds confidence, corrects mistakes, and keeps learning alive. Marking is not simply grading; it is part of guidance, and it shapes the pace of a student’s growth.

But the true power of feedback is realised only when the teacher is there, day after day, guiding, encouraging, and inspiring in person. Nothing replaces the regular and consistent presence of a teacher in the classroom. Presence should be the first promise every teacher makes to every child. To be present is to show commitment, reliability, and love for the children entrusted to you. Technology may assist, textbooks may guide, but the living voice of a teacher cannot be substituted.

It is in that daily presence—in the patience, the guidance, and the example that the deeper truth of teaching is revealed: teachers do not just instruct; they transform lives. Teachers do not just teach, they shape the soul of the nation.

The career of a teacher is a noble one, perhaps the noblest of all. It does not make headlines, but it shapes destinies. It does not raise skyscrapers, but it builds character.

Those who spend a lifetime shaping our children must themselves be assured of dignity, honour, and respect. As a government, we will ensure that a career in teaching is made worthwhile. We are committed to better pay, improved allowances, grants to support teaching and learning, more opportunities for training and greater morale. We are working to ensure improved working conditions today and a dignified retirement tomorrow.

On this World Teachers’ Day 2025, I extend my warmest and genuine thanks and best wishes to every teacher across our nation.

Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali

President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana

October 5, 2025