Workforce
We ’ ve seen teachers and staff display creativity , tenacity and sagacity to ensure our children ’ s continued education .
NSW Department of Education Secretary Georgina Harrisson . Photo : NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper
‘ We are agile ’
2022 NSW Schools Summit talks workforce challenges .
By Eleanor Campbell
Principals , teachers and senior education leaders from across NSW recently gathered in Sydney to attend the fourth annual SMH Schools Summit .
The event , marking the first in-person event since COVID-19 , dissected some of the major issues facing Australia ’ s education sector .
In her keynote speech , Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said reducing administrative workloads for teachers would be one of the “ top priorities for the year ”.
“ I see your ambition both for your career and for the students you teach and I want to find better ways to support that ambition ,” she said .
Secretary of the NSW Department of Education Georgina Harrisson commended teachers for being “ agile ” during the pandemic .
“ Through floods , bushfires and the pandemic , we ’ ve seen teachers and staff display creativity , tenacity and sagacity to ensure our children ’ s continued education ,” she said .
“ I also appreciate you ’ re tired and weary , so the thought of shaking off the stresses of the past two years is easier said than done .
“ But we need to be resilient and find the energy to persist .”
Mitchell said that a new strategic policy framework , outlining the government ’ s direction for schools , will be released later this year .
She also said that educators would have increased access to support services in 2022 .
“ That ’ s why we ’ re bringing in psychologists , nurses , student support officers and business managers ,” she said .
“ But on its own , that isn ’ t enough . We need to keep pushing on improving that support .”
SCHOOLS IN A ‘ RACE FOR RESOURCES ’ Private , catholic and public schools across NSW continue to struggle with ongoing teacher shortages , according to Knox Grammar headmaster Scott James .
He told a discussion panel he had faced significant challenges hiring staff , despite his private school being one of the most well-resourced in the city .
“ We probably experienced the greatest difficulty at the back end of last year and this year ,” he said .
James said schools were scrambling in a “ resources race ” to obtain quality teaching staff .
The majority of qualified candidates , he said , are being enticed to work in more privileged schools due to higher salaries and increased career opportunities .
“ From my experience , it does create an uneven field within the education sector ,” he said .
“ In terms of the competition , it ’ s enticing for teachers to move on and look for alternatives outside the teaching profession , and it ’ s exceptionally sad as a teacher myself .”
President of the NSW Teachers Federation Angelo Gavrielatos said a “ fundamental reset ” was needed to retain and build the workforce .
“ Labour market economics dictates that pay and conditions matter ,” he told the discussion panel .
“ We will not cannibalise ourselves , and we will not deny students what ’ s rightly theirs .”
Currently , the NSW Teachers Federation and the state government are locked in a stalemate over wages and conditions .
After teachers held a strike in November , asking for a pay rise between 5 to 7.5 per cent , the NSW Education Department offered an increase of 2.5 per year .
NSW Department of Education deputy secretary Yvette Cachiat told the summit that the government was not hiding the impact of staff shortages .
“ We don ’ t say there is not a problem ,” she said .
“ What we say is there are certain subject specialties that will be problems if not addressed .
“ The other thing we ’ ve got to do are practical , long-term sustainable changes to the system .” ■ educationreview . com . au | 27