Page 3153 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
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between the commonwealth and the ACT to improve teacher quality. It will bring the ACT in line with other jurisdictions that already have teacher registration bodies. Almost half of the $4 million is to be spent in the next financial year. We were advised in estimates that this will be mainly spent on staff and IT.
Working through how the existing teaching workforce move easily into the new registration regime is important and needs to be consistent with arrangements in other jurisdictions, where transition arrangements were kept to a minimum, to limit any disruption to the teachers. We understand from evidence given in estimates from the department and the minister that there is a lot to do in establishing the institute in a short time frame, and it will involve significant work with the commonwealth on the national partnership requirements. Introduction of this registration system and nationally agreed standards are positive steps, and we look forward to receiving progress reports.
We are concerned that there appears to be little done in the budget to address the major issues raised by the Australian Education Union. Again in estimates, they raised the issues of professional development and salary rates for teachers. The minister indicated that professional development in the next 12 months will centre on implementation of the national curriculum. Obviously, this will be needed, but not at the expense of other professional development for teachers, and the union say this is lacking now.
There was also a key issue in the Shaddock review where a significant investment was called for in professional learning for public school teachers. Shaddock recommended:
… top priority is given to the development of capacity of teachers to teach all students. Support for classroom teachers should be provided through professional learning ...
The review also referred to the need to directly link teachers’ current concerns and issues with their professional learning.
As I said, we understand professional development is needed for changes in the education system, such as a move to the national curriculum. But funding for professional development to address current concerns or issues, such as those raised by the Shaddock review—that is what the teachers and the union are calling for—is needed to ensure we improve what is happening in the classroom on a daily basis.
Our teacher salary rates are falling behind their counterparts in other jurisdictions. There are salary problems once the teachers get to the top end of the salary incremented scale. We understand that the salary rate for deputy principals is some 15 per cent below their counterparts in New South Wales. The minister acknowledged in estimates that we need a better way of rewarding teachers. We know that in relation to salaries the next round of enterprise bargaining is some 12 months away. In the interim, however, some broader strategies are required to attract, retain and reward our teachers, rather than hoping that school based management will save the day.
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