Rural teachers play a vital role in advancing the quality of rural education and are key to achieving education equity. To better understand the challenges faced by rural teachers and strengthen policy support, the UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) and the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) have jointly launched the initiative to develop a new Module on Rural Teachers for the Teacher Policy Development Guide (TPDG). As part of this project, a global call for innovative and practical case studies on rural teachers and education development was launched to gather on-the-ground insights that will inform the development of the guide.

On June 23 and 30, INRULED and TTF co-hosted two case study workshops, bringing together selected case authors to share experiences and engage in deep discussions on rural teacher policies and strategies. These exchanges aim to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on inclusive and equitable quality education.

During the meeting, Mr. Davide Ruscelli, Senior Programme Officer of TTF, Dr. Zhao Yuchi, Executive Director of INRULED, Ms. Ximena Rubio Vargas, Programme Officer of TTF, and Prof. Yusuf Sayed, Senior Consultant for INRULED, presented updates on the project and outlined the next steps.

To date, 61 submissions have been received, covering five major regions: Africa, the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Over 80% of the submissions are in-depth explorations of rural teacher development within a single country, offering both geographic diversity and context-specific relevance.

The case studies span 11 key teacher policy related dimensions: initial teacher education, continuing professional development (CPD), teacher recruitment and retention, career structure/path, teacher standards, employment and working conditions, reward and remuneration, teachers and community relations, teacher deployment, system and school governance, and teacher accountability. Among these, CPD, community relations, recruitment and retention emerged as widely addressed topics across regions.

The wide and strong response from organizations and experts worldwide has resulted in a rich, cross-cultural repository of rural teacher development practices. These cases will serve as a solid evidence base for policy development. In the next phase, the project team will integrate outstanding cases into the forthcoming Module on Rural Teachers of the TPDG, contributing to the advancement of equitable and high-quality rural education globally.