Commonwealth of LearningCHOGM26 · Talking points

C21 Teaching

Empowering teachers for digital-age learning

04

Talking point 04Commonwealth of Learning
infocol.org

Extending teacher capacity

Universal primary and secondary education by 2030 needs 44 million additional teachers, 15 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa, and about US$120 billion a year to pay for the new posts.*

* Source: UNESCO & International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (2024).

Four educators seated at a table with laptops and water bottles during a training workshop.
A practical session on the use of generative AI in classroom teaching, Accra, Ghana, February 2026. Credit: CENDLOS.

Opportunity for action

Members can accelerate in partnership

Make digital-age teacher development a shared Commonwealth enterprise: regional, recognised and affordable.

5 milestones to 2030 PDF pp. 7–8

The argument

Pedagogy matters

Teachers are the lifeblood of education. Their commitment shapes the human capital on which every country’s future depends. Yet around one in five teachers worldwide lacks the minimum required qualifications, rising to 30–40% in sub-Saharan Africa (UN DESA, 2026). Shortages are most acute in rural areas, refugee settings and disadvantaged communities, and in secondary STEM subjects.

We also need to rethink what teaching means in the 21st century. Learners need teachers who can design for digital, blended and AI-supported learning, who can model critical thinking and creativity, who can adapt when disruption happens, and who can help young people use powerful new tools safely and well.

Traditional face-to-face training cannot reach these numbers in time, and the countries that need it most do not have the budgets to build it. Governments need collaborative, technology-enabled approaches: open and distance learning, open educational resources and digital pedagogies that combine pre-service and in-service development, communities of practice and recognised micro-credentials, at a fraction of the cost and at national scale, building teacher digital skills at the same time.

Sub-Saharan Africa needs the most teachers and can least afford them

Additional teachers needed by 2030 for universal primary and secondary education, and the yearly cost of the new posts as a share of education spending, by SDG region (estimates)

Source: UNESCO & International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (2024), Global report on teachers, Tables 2.3 and 6.3.

SDG regionAdditional teachers needed by 2030 (millions)Note
Sub-Saharan Africa15.0m9.4 million new posts, more than the 8.5 million teachers in post in 2022, plus 5.6 million to replace teachers who leave
Southern Asia7.8m4.7 million new posts and 3.1 million to replace teachers who leave; 15.0 million teachers in post in 2022
Europe and Northern America4.8m310,000 new posts and 4.5 million to replace teachers who leave; 12.6 million teachers in post in 2022
South-Eastern Asia4.5m524,000 new posts and 4.0 million to replace teachers who leave; 6.8 million teachers in post in 2021
Northern Africa and Western Asia4.3m1.8 million new posts and 2.5 million to replace teachers who leave; 6.2 million teachers in post in 2022
Eastern Asia3.3m1.0 million new posts and 2.3 million to replace teachers who leave; 15.5 million teachers in post in 2022
Latin America and the Caribbean3.2m361,000 new posts and 2.8 million to replace teachers who leave; 7.2 million teachers in post in 2022
Central Asia0.7m343,000 new posts and 404,000 to replace teachers who leave; 1.2 million teachers in post in 2022
Oceania0.3m79,000 new posts and 196,000 to replace teachers who leave; based on 2017 data, teachers in post not reported; secondary excludes Australia and New Zealand

Teachers also need time and recognition. Professional development that counts towards registration and promotion is far more likely to be taken up, completed and sustained.

Proof points

The qualification gap, and COL’s teacher development results

Each card represents evidence in a strategic talking point, chosen because it shows the need or a result of COL’s work. Use the share button to copy a card as an image with a link back to this page.

Around1 in 5

teachers worldwide lacks the minimum required qualifications, rising to 30–40% in sub-Saharan Africa

NeedUN DESA (2026)

15,000+

teachers trained overall through COL’s teacher education work

ResultCOL

40 hours

of COL’s Teacher-in-the-Loop AI training count towards teachers’ mandatory annual professional development in India

ResultCOL

1,500+

educators and ministry staff in sub-Saharan Africa trained, 66% women, through micro-courses and CPD

ResultJob et al. (2026)

86

teachers in Barbados, Dominica and Grenada earned COL-endorsed micro-credentials (2026)

ResultCOL

45

master teachers in Togo, trained in digital and pedagogical skills, reached 125 more educators

ResultCOL

Case study

Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa

In Ghana, COL worked with the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS) and Wesley College of Education to develop a co-creative mentoring model for pre-service teachers. Introduced at a national AI workshop, it blends traditional and reverse mentoring with peer collaboration, gender-responsive pedagogy and the guided use of generative AI to co-create inclusive, curriculum-aligned resources (Adu-Manu et al., 2026).

The model moves through four stages (preparation, co-creation, implementation, and reflection and sustainability), so that colleges can adopt and scale it themselves. Trainee teachers learn digital pedagogy by doing it, with mentors who learn alongside them.

A mentoring loop colleges can run themselves

The co-creative mentoring model for pre-service teachers, developed in Ghana by COL, CENDLOS and Wesley College of Education. Select a stage, or a part of the blend, to read it.

Four stages (preparation, co-creation, implementation, and reflection and sustainability) run in a loop that colleges can adopt and scale themselves; trainee teachers learn digital pedagogy by doing it, with mentors who learn alongside them.

Source: Adu-Manu et al. (2026), A co-creative mentoring model for pre-service teacher education, Figures 1–3, with the loop drawn as in Figure 1; stage names and the blend in the talking point’s words.

Across the region, COL’s Beyond Numbers partnership with the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities has worked with teacher regulators in Botswana, Nigeria, Seychelles and South Africa on a shared open and distance learning framework for teacher development (COL & AFTRA, 2026). The South African Council for Educators, which represents more than 500,000 teachers, has worked with COL since 2024 on digital and pedagogical competencies, gender-responsive approaches and communities of practice.

More than 1,500 educators and ministry staff have been trained, 66% of them women, through 13 micro-courses and five CPD courses (Job et al., 2026).

Between December 2025 and April 2026, 4,896 teachers enrolled in a course on integrating virtual laboratories into STEAM teaching. In Seychelles, a cascade model trained 71 master trainers, who in turn reached 554 teachers from 37 schools. In the Caribbean, more than 950 teachers in Belize and Jamaica took part in COL’s STEAM Teachers Initiative between December 2025 and February 2026.

Overall, COL’s teacher education work has trained more than 15,000 teachers, supported 15 ministries and national agencies and developed more than 110 open and distance courses, strengthened by the Network for Open Teacher Education in sub-Saharan Africa. Recognition is following: in India, 40 hours of COL’s Teacher-in-the-Loop AI training now count towards teachers’ mandatory annual professional development.

Regional collaboration is turning teacher development into a shared, affordable Commonwealth enterprise.

Places of impact

Member Nations named in this talking point

16 of the 56 Member Nations. Every member is one equal tile, so small states stay visible; select a tile to read what happens there.

  1. GHA
    GhanaCOL, CENDLOS and Wesley College of Education developed a co-creative mentoring model for pre-service teachers
  2. BWA
    NGA
    Botswana, NigeriaBeyond Numbers: teacher regulators have worked with COL on a shared open and distance learning framework
  3. SYC
    SeychellesBeyond Numbers teacher regulator; a cascade model trained 71 master trainers, who reached 554 teachers from 37 schools
  4. ZAF
    South AfricaThe South African Council for Educators, representing more than 500,000 teachers, has worked with COL since 2024
  5. TGO
    Togo45 master teachers, trained in digital and pedagogical skills, reached 125 more educators by February 2026
  6. RWA
    RwandaRwandan participants were among the 70+ who strengthened an open teacher education network at two regional events (2026)
  7. BLZ
    JAM
    Belize, JamaicaTeachers in Belize and Jamaica took part in COL’s STEAM Teachers Initiative, December 2025 – February 2026
  8. KNA
    LCA
    VCT
    St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the GrenadinesOne of three countries where 80+ educators were certified in mathematics teaching (2025)
  9. BRB
    DMA
    GRD
    Barbados, Dominica, GrenadaOne of three countries where 86 teachers earned COL-endorsed micro-credentials (2026)
  10. IND
    India40 hours of COL’s Teacher-in-the-Loop AI training now count towards teachers’ mandatory annual professional development

Opportunity for action

Members can accelerate in partnership

Make digital-age teacher development a shared Commonwealth enterprise: regional, recognised and affordable.

CHOGM26 · 1–4 November 2026

Milestones

  1. At CHOGM26Prioritise teachers

    Recognise teachers’ digital and AI-ready pedagogy as central to every education and skills commitment.

  2. By mid-2027Set the standard

    Adopt competency frameworks for digital pedagogy, including AI literacy and inclusive, gender-responsive teaching.

    AI literacyGender-responsive teaching
  3. By end 2027Build pathways

    Offer open and distance CPD with micro-credentials that count towards registration and promotion, co-designed with teacher regulators.

    Micro-credentials
  4. By CHOGM28Share at scale

    Pool courses, open resources and mentors regionally so that every teacher can access quality development.

  5. By 2030Sustain

    Make communities of practice and mentoring funded, permanent features of national teacher systems.

We continue to act

COL will co-design courses and frameworks with ministries and regulators, share open resources and mentoring models, and track teacher and learner outcomes.

From the newsroom

We are already moving

Stories from the Commonwealth of Learning that highlight this strategic talking point. Each opens on col.org.

Banner for COL’s free online course Introduction to Robotics for Teachers across the Commonwealth Caribbean

Teaching the future: A robotics course for Caribbean educators

COL’s free 12-week online Introduction to Robotics for Teachers, part of its Youth Robotics for Blue-Green Resilience and Prosperity Project, is designed to help Caribbean educators integrate robotics into teaching and learning.

“COL’s Introduction to Robotics course has reached its full capacity of 500 participants, and registration is now closed”

C21 TeachingBlue Economy Skills
Young people beside a solar-powered sensor monitoring prototype on a shoreline

A generation rising: Caribbean youth build a resilient future through robotics solutions across borders and blue waters

COL’s Youth Robotics for Blue-Green Resilience and Prosperity pilot has seven Caribbean youth robotics teams and a research, media and advocacy team, with selected participants to present at CHOGM in Antigua and Barbuda.

“The Robotics Design and Prototype stream consists of 49 young people aged 16 to 23 who will develop potential responses to challenges”

Blue Economy SkillsSmall State AdvantageC21 Teaching
Title graphic with a portrait of Danny Faure, Chair of COL’s Board of Governors and former President of Seychelles

Reimagining school leadership in Seychelles: Leading change in a complex educational landscape

In a keynote to Seychelles headteachers, COL Board Chair Danny Faure proposed open schooling to reach young people not well served, including NEETs, and highlighted COL-supported teacher digital professional development.

“A cascading capacity-building model trained 71 Master Trainers, who subsequently trained 554 teachers nationwide from 37 schools.”

C21 TeachingNew Models for SchoolSmall State Advantage
Speaker with a microphone in front of a South African Department of Higher Education and Training banner

From AI literacy to action: South Africa charts a path forward for teacher education

At a national workshop on AI in teacher education convened by South Africa’s DHET with COL, participants developed a principle-based national policy and established a national task team to support implementation.

“MRTEQ is currently silent on AI and must mainstream AI literacy so that it becomes a core attribute of teacher education graduates.”

C21 TeachingFrugal Educational AISafe and Human Technology

Working in synergy

Connections

This talking point aligns with the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Democratic pillar and the Commonwealth Foundation’s focus on freedom of expression.

Talking points on the same pillar

References

Sources (6)

Show the sources

As printed in the talking point, followed by the further sources used for this site’s charts and diagrams.

  • Adu-Manu, K. S., Ogange, B., Adwabour, N. G., & Baah, K. A. (2026). A co-creative mentoring model for pre-service teacher education. Commonwealth of Learning. doi.org/10.56059/11599/6146 · OASIS
  • Commonwealth of Learning & Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities. (2026). Towards an open and distance learning framework for teacher development in sub-Saharan Africa. doi.org/10.56059/11599/6099 · OASIS
  • Job, G., Anaduaka, U., & Abah, M. O. (2026). Beyond numbers: Scaling quality teacher development in sub-Saharan Africa using ODL. Commonwealth of Learning. doi.org/10.56059/11599/6098 · OASIS
  • UNESCO & International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030. (2024). Global report on teachers: Addressing teacher shortages and transforming the profession.
  • United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2026). The Sustainable Development Goals report 2026. unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2026/

Further sources for the charts and diagrams

  • United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division. (2026). Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level and sex (%) (SDG indicator 4.c.1, series SE_TRA_GRDL; UNESCO Institute for Statistics data extracted 26 February 2026) [Data set]. Global SDG Indicators Database. unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal (accessed 2026-10-19)