The Territory’s teacher shortage is expected to continue as demand increases and recruitment becomes increasingly challenging according to a report from the Education Directorate and the ACT branch of the Australian Education Union (AEU).
Issuing its Final Report, the Directorate and AEU’s joint Teacher Shortage Taskforce said recruitment would be increasingly challenging in the context of a national teacher shortage and the ongoing impact of COVID-19 in schools and the broader community.
“Given this, it is important to have a future-focused approach to workforce planning and develop incentives and initiatives for ACT Public Schools to be the education system of choice for teachers, both graduate and experienced,” the Taskforce said.
“Further, the Taskforce agrees that the current casual relief model no longer meets the day-today staffing requirements in schools,” it said.
“Consequently, there is a need to develop a model that will increase teacher availability to cover unplanned absences and support schools in the day-to-day management of their operations.”
With teacher supply in a decline and COVID-19 impacting staff availability, the Taskforce said there was a need to continue to invest in retaining the current teaching workforce.
“At a system level, new educators should continue to be supported and engaged during their five-year transition into the teaching profession,” it said.
“It is also important that teacher and school leader workloads are sustainable and effectively managed.”
The Taskforce made 20 recommendations including the use of inbuilt relief teachers in all schools; centrally funded incentives for recently retired teachers or teachers on long-term leave to return to work; actively monitoring and identifying schools with acute and ongoing teacher shortages; and re-visiting the current casual relief model.
It also recommended the development of a five-year Classroom Teacher Attraction and Retention Plan by 2023, with clear deliverables and timelines for implementation.
The Taskforce’s 22-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
