Anonymous #165

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #165

Where are you located?

Queensland

What type of area do you live in?

Metropolitan

Are you an education professional?
(e.g. teacher, school leader, learning support assistant, teacher’s aide)

No

Elevating the profession

The actions proposed recognise the value teachers bring to students, communities and the economy.

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Improving teacher supply

The actions proposed will be effective in increasing the number of students entering ITE, number of students completing ITE and the number of teachers staying in and/or returning to the profession.

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

The actions proposed will ensure initial teacher education supports teacher supply and quality.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

There are a group of pending graduates who have passed one of the two components of LANTITE and have not been able to graduate since 2018. These students have not been considered in your proposals and are still to graduate from the university education course.

For some students, I include myself here the LANTITE mandate was retrospectively enforced and this interrupted study and graduation progress. Placements and the GTPA were also inhibited by the COVID pandemic. I completed my course in the first semester of 2021 but have not passed the numeracy component of LANTITE. My teaching areas are English and Ancient History. Some primary school graduates have been waiting to graduate as far back as 2018. Meanwhile there is a cost of living crisis and HECS debt interest increasing.

My recommendation is that the student HECS debt for education students be frozen at the time of course completion, so for me that would be June 2021.

A second recommendation would be that since there is a current move to bring LANTITE testing to the start of the Education degree for those whom have completed their degree without this option that their LANTITE testing be tied to teacher registration rather than graduation since it is a standard enforced on education graduates wishing to teach. There are now education graduates who are not seeking a career in school teaching. Aligning LANTITE with teacher registration would enable education students who have not completed or passed both components to graduate and seek employment and commence paying their HECS debt.

A third recommendation and alternative would be to adjust the LANTITE standard for Early, Primary and Secondary teaching or cease the LANTITE mandate altogether and for Education courses to end with the academically robust GTPA.

The fourth recommendation is to include pending graduates affected by LANTITE in the plans for recruiting and holding onto teachers that are already in the system to attract and retain these candidates who feel forgotten and excluded.

Consideration and urgent action must be given to these pending graduates whose only hurdle is one or two components of LANTITE. Does education really change lives?

Maximising the time to teach

The actions proposed will improve retention and free up teachers to focus on teaching and collaboration.

Strongly agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Yes, maximising the time in school classrooms, staff rooms, professional development, training and networking is optimal for those studying an education degree and wish to teach. There are however, students who undertake an education degree who do not wish to teach but seek to work in alternate areas.

Better understanding future teacher workforce needs

How effective are the proposed actions in better understanding future teacher workforce needs, including the number of teachers required?

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Better career pathways to support and retain teachers in the profession

The proposed actions will improve career pathways, including through streamlining the process for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) accreditation, and providing better professional support for teachers to retain them in the profession.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Include preservice teachers in this initiative.