THE byline is the theme of the World Teachers’ Day in 2023. The event is celebrated every 5th day of October, a campaign adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) to provide the world a better appreciation of the role of teachers in the development of students and society. Teachers are the pillars of education.
Without delving into the details of the Unesco campaign, the phrase should be seen from the perspective of maritime education in this archipelago. It is often cited that one of the problems encountered by maritime higher institutions is the dearth of maritime teachers and instructors. One argument submitted is the fact that merchant marine officers prefer employment onboard to that of teaching would-be seafarers. There are obvious reasons, of course, one being that of the desire to practice their profession and more importantly, the highly attractive remuneration offered for those who go to sea. For those who stand by the second reason, it is also best they do not become teachers.
Well, one realization higher education institutions must deal with is of course the fact that not all seafarers can teach; there are certain parameters which maritime instructors/teachers must fulfill and which higher education institutions have to strictly adhere to in selecting their faculty. Merchant marine officers have passed the crucible for which they are issued their competency certificate; however, this does not include an attestation of their knowledge and mastery to teach in maritime institutions.
One may ask, is higher education covered by the Unesco campaign? This question flows from the fact that in this archipelago it is only the basic education that takes cognizance of such campaigns. It is unfortunate that acknowledgment of the role of teachers stops at the elementary and secondary levels; hardly is there mention about those who teach in post-secondary education. No one appears to realize that Unesco has adopted in 1997 a recommendation concerning the status of higher education teaching personnel, which brings the “sometimes-neglected group of teaching personnel in higher education to the conversation about the status of teachers.”
For the year 2024, the theme of the World Teachers Day is “Empowering Educators: Strengthening Resilience, Building Sustainability.” This calls for teachers to adapt and innovate to ensure that their students are able to cope with the challenges arising from the fast-paced technological advances.
In the light of this reality, the Philippine Association of Maritime Institutions (PAMI) has been proactively pursuing programs in updating maritime educators/faculty to make them resilient and capable of dealing with the path ahead. Indeed, PAMI’s initiatives toward empowering maritime teachers and educators is grounded on its compelling objective of producing first-rate seafarers!
To maritime higher education teachers, the gratitude of higher education institutions and maritime students go to.
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