The UNESCO Regional Centre for Quality and Excellence in Education, hosted by Saudi Arabia, has launched a project called 'The Teacher We Want' as it concluded its international celebration of World Teachers' Day 2026. The event ran from October 5 to 8 under the slogan 'With Teachers, We Shape the Future', bringing together representatives of 61 countries, six education ministers and international leaders, experts, researchers and teachers.

The project aims to develop a flexible global model for the future of the teaching profession, based on scientific evidence, teachers' experience and international expertise. It focuses on professional and future competencies, institutional empowerment and keeping pace with digital and educational change beyond 2030.

The ministers stressed the importance of investing in teachers, improving their preparation and working environment, involving them in education policymaking and using artificial intelligence in ways that strengthen the teacher's role while preserving the human and ethical dimensions of education. Centre Director General Dr. Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim Al-Mudairis said the future of education cannot be shaped without teachers, adding that the project's success depends on making a tangible difference to their reality and to the quality of students' learning.

Over four days, the programme featured ministerial sessions, policy dialogues, research presentations and interactive workshops with UNESCO, international organisations and academic institutions, covering teachers' future skills, AI in education, sustainable professional development and quality of working life, as well as field experiences shared by teachers from around the world.

A closing statement set out recommendations in five areas: teacher participation in policymaking; digital skills and the ethical use of AI; modernising teacher preparation and professional development; better working conditions and well-being; and knowledge management, communities of practice and impact measurement. Next steps include developing the model and its tools with teachers and experts, wider international validation, and competency guides, performance indicators and training kits to support countries that wish to adopt it.

The programme reflects the Kingdom's role in supporting international cooperation and education quality, with the support and follow-up of Minister of Education and centre board chairman Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan.