Education Department to make NT early childhood teacher registration mandatory

A move to boost child safety has been met with CLP criticism, saying the safety reforms are too expensive for NT families.

A move to increase child safety in early learning centres has been slammed as too expensive by the CLP.

It comes after submissions closed for a discussion paper about the NT Government’s potential pathways to make teacher registration for every early childhood educator mandatory by 2026.

The NT Teacher Registration Board’s 2023-24 fee schedule includes an annual registration fee of $101, with additional charges for new or repeat applicants.

An Education Department spokeswoman said the paper prompted eight submissions and 35 survey responses from stakeholders, which will be used to inform the scheme’s future policy.

The spokeswoman said teacher registration provided professional recognition for hard working educators and ensured Territory kids were in safe hands during the school day.

“Implementing registration of early childhood teachers enables them to be recognised as an integral part of this highly valued profession,” she said.

“Harmonising registration requirements for early childhood teachers across jurisdictions will also allow teachers within the ECEC sector to be part of the broader network of education professionals across Australia.”

The spokeswoman said the first step towards recognising every Territory childcare educator as a teacher was amending the Teacher Registration Act.

Opposition Education Spokeswoman Jo Hersey. Picture: Glenn Campbell

But Opposition Education Spokeswoman Jo Hersey slammed the plans as a “potential financial blow” to the Territory’s families in the midst of cost of living pressures.

“This would create more financial stress for those struggling with already high childcare fees,” Ms Hersey said.

“There are already legislated requirements in relation to Early Childhood Educators working in long day care, preschool or three-year-old kindergartens.

“(Chief Minister Eva) Lawler’s mismanagement and more red tape would further complicate matters for both employers and employees.

“This move would burden employers with added expenses, which will inevitably be passed on and hit the back pocket of mums and dads.”

Early childhood educators to become registered teachers by 2026

April 17: The NT’s non-school-based early childhood educators do not currently require registration as teachers but the Education Department has committed to extending their mandate in the next two years.

The Department in a discussion paper said making early childhood teacher registration mandatory across school and non-school based environments would improve child safety, support career progression, and refine teaching quality in early learning settings.

“Teacher registration schemes enable professional recognition for the teaching profession and ensure that only those who can work safely with children, and protect the safety of children, are registered and employed as teachers,” the paper said.

“Implementing registration of early childhood teachers enables early childhood teachers to be recognised as an integral part of this highly valued profession.”

The commitment comes after a two-year-old girl died at a child care centre in September.

The Territory is one of three jurisdictions in Australia that does not require early childhood educators in non-school settings to become affiliated with their local Teacher Registration Board.

Productivity Commission data for 2023 found almost half the nation’s one-year-old children attended some form of early childhood education and care.

About 90 per cent of four-year-old children were enrolled in early childhood programs.

The discussion paper in February outlined three potential pathways towards mandatory early childhood teacher registration.

The first option would not impact the way the majority of the NT’s educators are registered.

This option would pose conditions on educators who only hold a birth to age five (Birth-5) qualification to limit them to transition students or younger.

This is because the Teacher Registration Board does not currently recognise Birth-5 qualifications as the coursework is limited to school placements, phonics instruction, teacher performance assessments, and lacks some of the core content seen in other education courses.

Early childcare educators in the NT will be required to register with the Teacher Registration Board by 2026. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The second option would operate similarly to the first but would remove conditions for Birth-5 educators, placing responsibility for employment requirements on individual schools instead.

The final option replicates registration models already used in Victoria and the ACT, and would split registrations into two categories.

The first category would make registration mandatory for primary, secondary, and birth to age eight and birth to age 12 educators, while the second would mandate registration for Birth-5 educators.

The Department closed submissions for the matter in March and has yet to reveal the findings.

The Education Department has been contacted for comment.

Opposition education spokeswoman Jo Hersey said the proposal would lead to more families under greater financial stress.

‘For the Lawler Labor government to even consider a proposal to mandate that early child care educators register as teachers is another potential financial blow to Territory families already grappling with the high cost of living,” she said.

‘Lawler’s mismanagement and more red tape would further complicate matters for both employers and employees.”

Originally published as Education Department to make NT early childhood teacher registration mandatory