As we commemorate World Teachers’ Day 2026 under the theme “Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our futures,” we must ask ourselves a simple but important question: Are we truly standing with teachers?

Having spent nearly a decade in the classroom, I have experienced firsthand the sacrifices, resilience and commitment that come with being a teacher. I have seen teachers walk into classrooms despite financial pressures, inadequate resources and difficult working conditions, because they understand the responsibility entrusted to them.

Teachers are not merely conveyors of knowledge. We build character, nurture dreams, identify potential and prepare the human capital that drives every sector of society. But standing with teachers cannot begin and end with a social media post saying “Happy Teachers’ Day.”

Teachers need more than appreciation messages. They need better pay, better working conditions, professional growth, protection and dignity.

A teacher should not have to spend a significant portion of their salary on loan payments just to survive. A profession entrusted with shaping the future should not leave its practitioners struggling to meet their basic needs. We need a serious conversation about teachers’ salaries in The Gambia.

Teachers deserve a remuneration package that reflects the responsibility, qualifications and demands of the profession. Better salaries should not be treated as a luxury or an unreasonable demand. They are fundamental to restoring the dignity and status of teaching.

At the same time, teachers should receive cadre-specific allowances that recognise the unique responsibilities and demands of the profession. Teachers are among the most important human resource developers in the country, yet their compensation does not adequately reflect the weight of that responsibility.

If we genuinely believe that teachers are central to national development, then that belief must be reflected in our budgets, salaries, allowances and policies.

The Gambia Teachers’ Union must also continue to push firmly for meaningful improvements in teachers’ welfare. Dialogue is important, but dialogue must eventually produce results. Teachers cannot continue to hear promises while their economic realities remain unchanged.

The government and policymakers must understand that investing in teachers is not an expense. It is an investment in the future of The Gambia.

This year’s theme speaks about standing with teachers. Let that standing be visible in our policies, budgets and actions. Protect the profession. Advance the status of teachers. Listen to teachers.
Pay teachers fairly.

On this World Teachers’ Day, I salute every teacher who continues to show up despite the challenges and remains committed to shaping the next generation.

Teachers do not need to be remembered only on 5th October. They need to be respected, supported and properly compensated every day.

Happy World Teachers’ Day to all teachers in The Gambia and around the world.

Ebrima KB Sonko
Concerned Teacher and Citizen