The three pillars of quality education

Quality education is based on three pillars:

1. Quality teaching – which  is ensured through the recruitment of high calibre candidates to teaching, the provision to them of high quality initial teacher education and the support throughout their career of continuous professional development. Teachers are the most important educational resource and a critical determinant of quality. They must be treated as respected professionals. Teaching must provide an attractive career choice, and must remain sufficiently attractive, in terms of salaries and conditions of employment, to retain the best teachers in the service.
2. Quality tools for teaching and learning – including appropriate curricula and inclusive teaching and learning materials and resources. These may be provided,  through the application of information and communication technology, that is, by harnessing the enormous power of the internet and the capacity and accessibility of modern technology to assist and support teaching and learning.
3. Quality environments for teaching and learning – supportive, comfortable, safe and secure, with the appropriate facilities to encourage student learning and to enable teachers to teach effectively. A quality environment also engages parents, students, teachers, homework services, school authorities and support staff in a community working together to achieve the goal of providing quality education for all of its students.