The Australian Education Reporter
Parties commit to more teachers
THE State Liberal Government is the only party not committed to boosting educator numbers ahead of the State election on 3 March, according to the Australian Education Union (AEU).
The Labor Party, the Greens and the Jacqui Lambie Network have all backed AEU’S ‘Quality Education for all’ campaign to boost overall educator numbers.
“Three political parties have all committed to significantly boosting educator numbers while the Liberals have been silent,” AEU Tasmanian president Helen Richardson said.
“All parties must commit to delivering additional resources and staff to our schools, colleges and TAFES so every child gets the opportunity to have a great education.”
“Properly resourcing education should be a priority for all politicians in the lead-up to this election,” she said.
A majority Labor Government would deliver $63 million in funding to provide Tasmanian schools with more than 300 new teachers and education support staff.
Labor intends to employ 201 teachers and 107 support staff over the four years of the $63 school staffing package.
“We know that our teachers are stretched to breaking point and we cannot hope to get the best from them or for our students without providing additional capacity to allow them the time they need to teach,”
“We know that our teachers are stretched to breaking point and we cannot hope to get the best from them or for our students without providing additional capacity to allow them the time they need to teach.”
Labor Leader Rebecca White said.
A re-elected Liberal Government promised to roll out Grade 12 to all state schools by 2022.
Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff cited the release of the Education Report on Government Services (ROGS) as confirmation that the Governments Year 11 and 12 High School extension program was working.
“While we have made great progress with our Year 11 and 12 high school extensions, we will push for even more improvements with a target of increasing the retention rate of Year 10-12 students to at or above the national average by 2022, and to have 75 per cent of all students in Year 12 complete their TCE by 2022,” he said.