“Sin docentes no hay escuelas.” Without teachers, there are no schools.
This simple, but powerful, phrase is often repeated by our friends at Fe y Alegría in Venezuela. It captures a truth that is often overlooked when we discuss access to quality and inclusive education: teachers are at the heart of every school. Teachers are not just conveyors of knowledge; they are mentors, role models, and advocates for students—especially in marginalized communities. They create spaces of inclusion and foster a sense of belonging. They help every child to see and reach their full potential. A failure to invest in the success of our teachers–as well as the success of our students–places entire educational communities at risk.
Education systems around the world are grappling with the impacts of our failure to invest in teachers. According to UNESCO, the world is facing a shortage of nearly 44 million teachers needed to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030. In places like Venezuela and Malawi, teacher shortages are particularly acute. Educators face tough conditions, working with limited resources, low pay, and overcrowded classrooms. Jesuit education initiatives, though, are rising to the challenge to ensure that teachers are valued and supported for their role in each educational community.
Challenges at the Margins of Exclusion
In Venezuela, ongoing political and economic crises have severely impacted the education system. These crises have led to the largest migration flow in the Western Hemisphere as more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left their country since 2014. Many thousands of those who have fled are teachers. For teachers who remain in Venezuela, it has become incredibly difficult to survive on dangerously low wages. Venezuelan school teachers are often paid below subsistence levels, earning the lowest salaries in the region–between $10 and $30 USD each month.
Despite these enormous challenges, Fe y Alegría, the largest Jesuit education network in the world, has responded with creative and innovative solutions to ensure teachers are in the classroom and schools remain open, all the while advocating the Ministry of Education for fair and just salaries.
In Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, the pupil-to-teacher ratio is one of the highest in the world, with an average of 59 students per teacher in primary schools. Teachers in Malawi often work in extremely overcrowded classrooms, with limited or no access to basic teaching materials. Moreover, in rural areas where infrastructure is lacking, it is increasingly difficult for teachers to foster an environment conducive to learning. Most of the 45 Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSS) in Kasungu have no electricity, no running water, no libraries, no science labs and they are often staffed by teachers untrained for secondary school positions.
Loyola Jesuit Secondary School (LJSS) in Kasungu was founded to provide quality education based in Christian values and humanistic qualities. LJSS provides both students and teachers with appropriate resources and safe learning spaces, including for students with different learning abilities, as well as access to arts education and psycho-social support.
Responding to the Universal Apolstolic Preferences and Sustainable Development Goals
Our duty to support teachers is rooted in our Jesuit identity and the Jesuits’ Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs), particularly the calls to “journey with youth” and “walk with the excluded.” Teachers are, in many ways, at the heart of this work. As the Jesuits say, teachers “accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.” Where these same teachers are working in underserved and marginalized communities, they are also at the front lines of “walking with the excluded … whose dignity has been violated, in a mission of reconciliation and justice.” In these communities, teachers support students and their families, providing not only education but also hope and empowerment.
We are also motivated to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. At the heart of SDG 4 is the recognition that teachers are the cornerstone of any successful education system.
At American Jesuits International, we support teachers in marginalized communities through our collaboration with Fe y Alegría and other Jesuit education initiatives because we know that quality education cannot exist without teachers who are well-trained, supported, and fairly compensated.
We know the transformative power of education for students like Samantha and Johana and in places like the Mérida Valley, Venezuela or Alotenango, Guatemala. However, to defend the right to education for all everyone we must invest in our teachers. Training, support, and fair compensation are not optional—they are essential to ensuring that teachers can continue to do their jobs effectively. Globally, low teacher salaries and a lack of professional development opportunities contribute to high turnover rates, particularly in marginalized communities. This creates a cycle of instability that disproportionately affects vulnerable students.
Our Call to Action
Investing in teachers is investing in the future. Without them, the goal of quality education for all will remain out of reach. Without schools, there is no future for the communities we aim to accompany. “Sin docentes no hay escuelas” is not just a slogan—it’s a call to action.
As we celebrate World Teachers’ Day on October 5, join us in defending the right to education. Join us in empowering teachers to change lives. Your support can help ensure that dedicated educators around the world continue to uplift marginalized students and break the cycle of poverty. Invest in teachers—because without them, there are no schools, and without schools, there is no future.
