ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: The World Teachers Day, celebrated around the world on October 5, passed without notice in Pakistan where government demonstrated little or no interest in recognizing the vital role of teachers in the development of a society.

Unicef joins children, schools, communities and countries in celebrating World Teachers’ Day to honour the many men and women who transfer knowledge to the future generations.

Introduced in 1994 by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), the day is observed by more than 100 countries.

For this year the theme of World Teachers’ Day is “qualified teachers for qualified education” in recognition of the fact that qualified teachers are in severe shortage in most countries.

Unicef Executive Director Carol Bellamy and the heads of Unesco, International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in their tribute to teachers, underscored the role of teachers in achieving the global goal of education for all children.