Page 64 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 25 February 2014
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Over a number of years the government has been addressing the factors that impact on student learning and wellbeing. We have been building new 21st century schools and upgrading existing schools. We employed more teachers to reduce the ratio between students and teachers, and it is one of the lowest in the country. But there is no doubt that quality teaching makes the big difference. The rubber hits the road in the classroom with the interaction between a quality teacher and a student. Students do well when they have very good teachers, not by chance but by design.
This initiative will guarantee that all the teachers we recruit have literacy and numeracy skills at the highest standard and are able to pass on those standards to our students. As Glenn Fowler said this morning on radio:
This is about enhancing the professional status. Now ACT public school teachers when this goes ahead will be the best qualified in the country, will they be the best teachers in the country—well we don’t know that yet, but we do know they will be the best qualified in the country and that’s an ambition we support.
That is a quote from Glenn Fowler. The best teachers want to work in a public education system that is serious about quality teaching and demands, supports and values excellence in the classroom. That is what this ACT government will deliver.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Gentleman.
MR GENTLEMAN: Minister, what is in place at present to ensure that we recruit the best new teachers?
MS BURCH: I thank Mr Gentleman for his interest. Each year the education directorate receives over 700 applications for permanent, temporary and casual teaching places in our public schools. This year 376 new teachers commenced work at the start of the year. The best and brightest teachers want to come and work in our schools because they know they will be recognised for their efforts and achievements.
The government has a strong track record of recognising the talents of teachers. We offer some of the best salaries in the country and provide among the best conditions to attract the best. First-year teachers, for example, have a reduced teaching load to help them develop their skills in the classroom and in their profession. We have a rigorous recruitment process in which each applicant is interviewed and assessed.
Schools are now empowered to recruit teachers at a local level. Principals can identify outstanding teaching students on practicum and offer them permanent employment on graduation. Schools advertise teacher positions and conduct their own merit selection process, supported by the system. Temporary and casual teachers are regularly assessed by schools to ensure the quality of their teaching before being offered further employment. All these measures work in combination to attract quality teachers and ensure that we recruit the best on offer.
By including a literacy and numeracy test, we will build on this foundation and raise even higher the quality of teachers and achievements of students in ACT public schools.
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