A Minns Labor Government will create 10,000 more permanent teaching roles in NSW by shifting temporary positions into permanent roles in a bid to stem teacher attrition rates.
This will give teachers the job security they need to stay in the profession; give schools the flexibility they need to deliver lessons; and give parents the confidence that their children will be taught by a teacher and not spend time in a merged classroom.
Under Labor’s plan, current resources that are going to temporary positions can be used to give teachers permanent places in the education system, and schools will have the ability to bring in the teachers they need based on their requirements.
This policy will ensure more teachers are readily available to fill gaps, helping to prevent the increasing teacher shortages schools are facing after 12 years of the NSW Liberals.
Temporary and casual teaching roles rise under Liberals
Since 2011 the NSW Liberal-National Government has moved to casualise the teaching profession.
Through policies such as Local Schools, Local Decisions, the Liberals and Nationals shifted responsibility of running the education system away to individual schools, leaving thousands of teachers without knowing whether they’d have a job next term, next year or even next week.
As a result the prevalence of temporary teaching roles has ballooned over the last decade.
In 2011, there were 11,695 full-time equivalent (FTE) temporary teaching positions in New South Wales.
But under the NSW Liberals, FTE temporary roles surged to 21,366 by 2021 – an 82 per cent increase.
Temporary or casual roles represent more than one in three of all teaching positions in the state – or 37 per cent.
Job insecurity cause of teacher attrition
Job insecurity is cited by more than a half of teachers – or 58 per cent – as a contributor to workforce problems, according to a NSW Parliament survey of teachers.
For young teachers without a permanent position, it makes it much more difficult to get finance for a home or a car – to lay down roots and to start a family.
60 per cent of teachers were also considering leaving the profession within the next 5 years, the survey also found.
In fact, just last year one in nine young teachers left the profession.
Declining education outcomes under the Liberals and Nationals
Between 2006 and 2018, NSW students have dropped from 6th to 23rd in reading, dropped from 9th to 31st in maths and dropped from 3rd to 23rd in science.
Chris Minns, NSW Labor Leader said:
“Labor’s plan to bring permanency back to the NSW teaching workforce will help bring an end to the Liberals’ and Nationals’ teacher shortage.
“The parents and students of NSW deserve a government that will take decisive action to stop merged classes and turn around declining education outcomes.”
“We can’t have a situation where teachers are leaving our schools because they don’t know whether they will have a job next term, or next year. Teaching should be a job you want to stay in for your entire career.”
Prue Car, NSW Shadow Minister for Education:
“The Liberals and Nationals have overseen the casualisation of the teaching profession on an industrial scale.
“This disastrous policy has led to a decline in education outcomes, student wellbeing and talented individuals leaving the profession in their thousands.
“Labor’s plan to boost permanent teaching roles will give teachers the confidence to remain in the profession and focus on delivering the best education for our children.”
