SACE Board reassures students exams not in jeopardy after teacher strike threat

It comes after the head of the teachers union clashed with an Adelaide radio host in a fiery on-air exchange.

Non-educators will be called in to supervise Year 12 exams if teachers walk off the job in a proposed union strike, South Australia’s secondary education assessment board has said.

The SACE Board has reassured students they will still be able to sit their final tests despite the possibility of teachers striking on November 9 during exam period.

On Wednesday, the SA branch of the Australian Education Union announced it has given the government a deadline of November 6 to “make an acceptable offer”.

Education Minister Blair Boyer Picture: NCA NewsWire / Morgan Sette

The union launched a week-long ballot of its about 12,000 members on Thursday to be prepared to “call for swift action” by educators if it does not accept the government’s offer.

Students will sit tests for physics and accounting on November 9, and biology and modern history the following day.

But a spokeswoman for the SACE Board said school leaders would “make sure exams can be delivered in a way that supports students”.

“During an examination, students must be supervised at all times and schools appoint exam invigilators for their school site,” the spokeswoman said.

“They are not required to be teachers.”

She said the SACE Board has “every confidence” that exams would not be disrupted.

“The SACE Board has processes in place to ensure if students are unable to sit an examination due to circumstances outside of their control, they will not be disadvantaged,” the spokeswoman said.

But Education Minister Blair Boyer said a strike “will be of concern for families who have students doing exams”.

“I very much want to avoid that,” Mr Boyer said.

“I was surprised and disappointed to learn the union is planning further industrial action, particularly during the Year 12 exam period.”

Opposition education spokesman John Gardner slammed the union’s strike threat.

“If the teachers union think that going on strike on Day 4 of Year 12 exams is going to win the hearts and minds of South Australian community then I really think they’ve made a serious error,” Mr Gardner said.

The AEU is seeking a pay rise of 8.64 per cent in the first year of a new three-year agreement, backdated to May, and 5.5 per cent increases for the following two years.

The government has offered 3 per cent a year.

he union is also pushing for a 20 per cent increase in non-teaching time – meaning more time for administration tasks.

FIVEaa host David Penberthy. Picture: Matt Loxton

AEU President Andrew Gohl. Picture: Dean Martin

The AEU’s move also received condemnation from FIVEaa radio host David Penberthy, who accused union boss Andrew Gohl of ignoring the needs of students in a firey interview on Thursday morning.

“You haven’t even thought about this, have you?” Penberthy said.

“So the kids who are about to do their Year 12 exams, they’ve just got to sort of fit in with your broader industrial agenda do they?”

Mr Gohl said the union was not “in the business of disadvantaging” Year 12 students and that they had discussed the impact of potential strike action on exams.