The teaching shortage in Latin America and the Caribbean: UNESCO launches a global report and a strategy to strengthen the profession

This launch, held within the framework of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development 2025, at ECLAC, aimed to place a critical issue on the regional education agenda. The shortage of teachers and the complex conditions for carrying out their work threaten the quality of learning and the future of millions of girls, boys, and young people.

The world faces a deficit of 44 million teachers to achieve universal education by 2030. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the situation is alarming: 3.2 million teachers are needed, most of them to replace those who leave the profession due to excessive workload, low salaries, and lack of recognition.

"We cannot allow the lack of teachers to continue jeopardising the right to education. Urgent measures are needed to attract and motivate the best professionals into the classrooms. UNESCO calls on governments to prioritise the teaching profession with concrete policies that improve working conditions, training, and recognition. The future of education and sustainable development depends on it," stated Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago (Chile).

Meanwhile, the Chilean Minister of Education, Nicolás Cataldo Astorga, pointed out, "Those of us here today are witnesses to the challenges faced by the different countries in the region in terms of education. Teachers are constantly confronted with multiple factors, not only educational ones, and that is why initiatives like these are so important. With 2030 fast approaching, we urgently need to redouble our efforts to advance in fulfilling our commitments, specifically those outlined in SDG 4. Concrete actions and strategies, with a territorial approach and a forward-looking perspective, are the direction we must take. It is good news to see that we are united in this noble task."