When I hear about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on education, I cannot avoid imagining a teacher wondering if that technology can one day perceive the brightness in the eyes of their students when they finally manage to understand something that was difficult for them, or replace the hug that reconforts them after a bad day. The AI is fascinating, yes, but the authentic revolution is in the teachingin the attentive look and the timely word of those who dedicate their lives to educating.
In Argentina, challenges are urgent. The technology incorporation agenda in education advances at a more accelerated pace than that of the capacity of educational systems to train their teachers, and that is only part of the problem. The country exhibits a ratio of 25 students by trained teacher In Primary, one of the highest in the region, which reinforces the urgency of adding teachers and improving their skills. As if that were not enough, it presents The lowest salary (USD 516) Regarding the other nations of Latin America.
These data arise from the “World Report on the Teaching Personnel: to face the shortage of teachers and transform the profession”, published by UNESCO, which also states that to guarantee universal enrollment in primary and secondary school from here to 2030, our region will need 3.2 million of additional teachers – of which 2.8 million will correspond to replacements for abandonment and 0.3 million to new hiring. At the same time, today alone 4 out of 10 countries will have enough teachers for primary, and that percentage falls to less than 1 out of 5 For high school if we do not act with decision.
We inhabit a time marked by uncertainty. On the one hand, there is the urgency of building a more sustainable world, that is, to cover current needs without compromising future generations, maintaining the balance between economic development, environmental care and social welfare. On the other hand, there is the fear that AI, or any other technology, can replace teachers, in a context of falling from the prestige of the profession. All this draws a discouraging panorama.
A desperate call to action. ¿What can we do not lose love to teaching in such a challenging context? Can teachers be sustainability ambassadors? These questions were the ones that led us to initiate a joint work between Learning by Helping and UNESCO, which materialized in the first edition of our teaching certification in social innovation for sustainable development. Thus, we work together to turn pain into action.
In that first instance, more than 5,000 educators From Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay and other Latin American countries were formed using a methodology that allows to create solutions to real problems, based on knowing their context deeply and the problems that cross it, empathize with their community and design projects collaboratively.
The commitment we assume – and that we continue to assume – is very high. As Zelmira May, a UNESCO Education Specialist: the training of our teachers is fundamental and the time they dedicate to improving is invaluable. We cannot fail them.
We are proud to know that this proposal has not only enhanced the way of teaching, but has allowed teachers with more than 20 years of experience to fall in love with your profession again Or that others felt the impulse to lead projects that contribute to sustainable development, even when contexts are not the best. The results show us that the flame of passion is more present than ever, and that it is to promote spaces that help to turn it on even more.
For that reason, in 2025 we renew our commitment and alliance with UNESCO. In June the call for the second edition of the certification is launched. It is key to bring education for sustainability to all classrooms on the planet. Together we will continue to build an educational movement that does not stop.
It’s a Attention call In a context where some governments are relegating the sustainability agenda, It is key to keep alive the initiatives that form those who make change possible. The teachers who form last year today have more tools – from team management to social impact assessment – to transform their schools into change agencies.
Teaching has to become a highly collaborative profession, with emphasis on reflection, research, knowledge creation and innovation. And this is where change lies, in methodologies to promote positive change. For that reason, we are convinced that the road is to use the resources we have available to bring the human to its best expression.
Because the educational revolution is not in the algorithms: it is in the passion and the look of the one who teaches. And that, dear colleagues, a machine can never replicate it.
*Tomy Megna is executive director of Learning by Helping
By Tomy Megna
