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Standing Committee on Social Issues

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About this Item
Subjects -  Education; Schools; Teachers; Training Schemes
Speakers - Deputy-President (Reverend the Hon Fred Nile); Parker The Hon Robyn; Griffin The Hon Kayee; West The Hon Ian
Business - Committee, Report


    STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL ISSUES
Page: 1894


    Report: Recruitment and Training of Teachers

    Debate resumed from 6 September 2006.

    The Hon. ROBYN PARKER [3.33 p.m.]: I acknowledge the work of the many people who have contributed to this inquiry. This field is often over-surveyed, but people still provided the Standing Committee on Social Issues with information and contributed with enthusiasm because of their belief in education. In particular, I acknowledge the work of Dr Gregor Ramsey and Professor Tony Vinson, whose reports were invaluable to the committee and to educational development in this State. I also acknowledge the work of other committee participants, and particularly the secretariat, including Victoria Pymm, for its assistance with this inquiry. [Time expired.]

    The Hon. KAYEE GRIFFIN [3.34 p.m.]: The Standing Committee on Social Issues released its report entitled "Recruitment and Training of Teachers" in October 2005. The report contains 15 recommendations, including:

    Recommendation 13

    That the Department of Education and Training evaluate the effectiveness of the employment waiting list, taking into account the recommendations of the Ramsey Review and that the Department make the results of the evaluation public.

    Recommendation 14

    That the Department of Education and Training provide a specific funding allocation to schools for teacher induction and review the efficacy of its current induction resources.

    Recommendation 15

    That the Government expand the Teacher Mentor Program to ensure that all schools have adequate mentoring support for their beginning teachers and commit necessary funds to support the expanded program.

    Chapter 6 deals extensively with supporting and retaining teachers. It states that the evidence suggests the number of new teachers leaving the profession early could be substantially reduced through the expansion of a number of support programs. Concern was expressed during the inquiry that not much support is available when newly graduated teachers move out into the public school system. That was clearly evident when the discussion turned to hard-to-staff schools and teaching assignments for people who come from rural or metropolitan areas. Many new teachers from rural New South Wales would like to go back there to teach and new teachers from metropolitan areas probably want to stay in those areas. Lengthy discussions were held about whether that was appropriate. The majority of evidence presented supported the teacher mentor program and strategies that could be used not only to support and mentor new teachers but also to examine initiatives to encourage them to stay in the system rather than leave after only a few years.

    Chapter 6 also refers to the teacher selection and appointment process of the Department of Education and Training and its impact on teaching graduates. A great deal of evidence was taken about that issue and it was discussed at length. The department's submission noted that a key priority will be to re-survey the people on the employment list in 2005 and review the effectiveness of the list to ensure that it remains up to date. Evidence was presented that approximately 1,200 to 1,600 teachers are employed from that list each year. School principals requiring a teacher are provided with the names of the first five people on the employment list who meet the school's criteria, and those candidates are interviewed. The committee took evidence about and discussed whether it was appropriate for people who had come from rural New South Wales to go back. Associate Professor Rodney Francis, the co-ordinator of the AAT course at Charles Sturt University, made mention of that and stated:

    …you get silly situations arising where someone from my institution, for example, who wants to teach in rural areas ends up being placed in Sydney, and someone from Sydney ends up being placed in Griffith. Both of them hate it. Both of them sever the system because the system does not include, in terms of its measures of what we want, context. That is just as important as being on the system. It says "I am a principal from a rural school who wants these kinds of codes and someone who understands this kind of community and this kind of context and is actually willing to teach in this sort of place." If in some way that was included in the way in which people were appointed we would get a much closer match.

    Of course, the problem for the Department of Education and Training is that every school must be staffed, and the wishes of the graduates cannot necessarily be taken into account. The committee recognised throughout the inquiry that the newly graduated teachers require quality mentoring if they are to be retained in the public school system. As we all know, in any working environment when staff are not retained the experience that people gain in the first few years of their working life is lost. It certainly does not make it easier for the next group of beginning teachers who come along, and it certainly does not make it easier for people who are looking for teaching staff willing to teach in hard-to-staff schools.

    Chapter 6 of the report also addressed support for beginning teachers in rural schools, the induction and mentoring programs, the teacher mentor program, and the role of the New South Wales Institute of Teachers in providing professional support. Everyone agreed that professional support for teachers is extremely important, that it should not be limited to beginning teachers and graduates, and that it should be provided to teachers on an ongoing basis. As with most other professions, it is important that teachers have the opportunity to discuss with other professionals, on a one-to-one basis, any problems they may encounter in their work. The teaching profession certainly needs such support, particularly given some of the problems experienced, whether in rural, regional or metropolitan schools. Teachers also need career flexibility in relation to schools that are hard to staff. The inquiry also addressed in detail the aspect of returning to teaching and casual teachers.

    I take this opportunity to thank members of the committee for their input during the inquiry. Every member had a great deal of input in terms of expressing concerns about the teaching profession, and in addressing the issues teachers face, and the support they need, when they move into the public school system. I wish to thank also the committee secretariat, who not only did a wonderful job in supporting the committee but also provided assistance at the forums that were held, during which we had the opportunity to speak face-to-face with a number of teachers currently in the school system. They expressed their views on a range of issues, including recruitment and retention and the importance of training and mentoring in the future. Once again I place on record my thanks to the committee secretariat for their hard work in enabling us to produce a report that I believe is extremely important in terms of what will happen with teacher recruitment and training in the future.

    The Hon. IAN WEST [3.43 p.m.]: I am pleased to join with others in this take-note debate on the important issue of the recruitment and training of teachers. I thank the former Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Andrew Refshauge, for referring the matter to the Standing Committee on Social Issues. His commitment to this vital aspect of education is well known and well recognised in New South Wales and beyond. The multitude of programs that seek to address the current and future recruitment needs of the education system show considerable potential. Despite the large number of reports relating to the education sector, participants in the inquiry made their contributions with great enthusiasm and foresight, and displayed an appreciation of the importance of the recruitment and training of teachers.

    The committee raised a number of important issues in its 15 recommendations, including funding. It was noted that the Federal Government has a vital role to play in funding education. It is very difficult for State governments to adequately resource education without a full and enthusiastic commitment from the Federal Government. At this time such a commitment is sadly lacking. The funding of public education has been vital in so many areas of social interaction.

    Pursuant to standing orders business interrupted.


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