Anonymous #193

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #193

Where are you located?

Australian Capital Territory

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.

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Maximising the time to teach

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

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

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?

Moderately effective

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

My daughter is a primary school teacher in the ACT. She has a HELP/HECS debt of around $100,000 that she incurred to get her teaching degree. A starting salary for teachers is around $70,000 so she expects to be repaying her HELP/HECS debt for a number of years. It has been reported there is a shortage of primary school teachers in most regions of Australia, including the ACT. I understand the current federal government has recognised this and may now reduce the HELP/HECS amount for students currently studying to be teachers.

However, this does not help those who studied and qualified to be teachers in previous years who still have a HELP/HECS debt. There is a problem retaining teachers due to poor remuneration and the stressful nature of the job.

One of the actions (part of 23) stated in the Draft Action Plan is "These will include but are not limited to teacher superannuation scheme rules, taxation arrangements including HELP, salary, career structure, workload and housing affordability factors like stamp duty".

One way to retain teachers could be to wavier the annual HELP/HECS debt amount for each teacher who stays teaching in the system. This could be performance based and linked to a satisfactory performance rating.

This could be done on an annual basis for each year the teacher stays in the system. This would reward their efforts and be equivalent to the reduced HELP/HECS payment amount for students currently studying to be teachers. Of course this would need to be fully costed and evaluated against other proposed 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.

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?