Educators united in solutions to fix the teacher shortage crisis
AEU SA Branch media release: Monday 29 August 2022
Reducing unnecessary administration and increasing in-classroom support are among the top solutions proposed by South Australian educators in our campaign to fix the teacher shortage crisis.
The AEU SA Branch last week concluded state-wide consultation for a new Enterprise Agreement, focused on bringing educators together and finding long-term solutions to ease the pressure in schools and preschools.
“What we’re hearing is that valuing the work of educators is one piece of the puzzle, but no amount of money can account for excessive workloads preventing educators from doing the job they came to do, and that’s teaching your kids”, said Branch President Andrew Gohl.
The Government continues to focus on immediate measures to address teacher shortages in schools and preschools. While that is important, the AEU is developing a claim which includes longer-term solutions to the systemic pressures that have led to this crisis in the first place.
“The reality is that COVID unveiled a pattern that has been long-emerging. Education has lost its true meaning and become caught up in administration, data collection and bureaucracy which is causing professionals to walk away”, said Gohl. “The professional judgement of our educators needs to be respected.”
Obvious as a result of the Public Education Forums is a need to ensure the working conditions of educators protects the fundamentals of teaching and learning.
“Educators come to the profession with a desire to help children thrive. Working conditions which prevent them from doing that has significant impacts on the wellbeing of educators and their students alike. We’re seeing this both in South Australia and nationally.”
Data from a joint study with the University of South Australia will be released late next month, which will further inform the exact measures the AEU will propose as part of our claim.
Negotiations with the Malinauskas State Government will be focused on bargaining for a better future, as we invite them to work with the profession to fix South Australia’s teacher shortage crisis.