Leaders respond to ‘really great’ first reader question

Premier Steven Miles has announced that Labor will invest $40 million in additional teacher aides in a $40m school policy in response to a Courier-Mail reader question.

Violence is occurring more reguraly in Queensland classrooms. Picture Supplied

Premier Steven Miles and David Crisafulli have responded to our first reader question of the campaign.

The question came from Gold Coast reader Graham about how they would tackle behavioural problems in the state’s classrooms.

READER QUESTION:

I am a teacher and want to know if the escalating behaviour problems in both state and high schools will be addressed? This is one of the reasons most teachers want to leave - because of disruptive, abusive students.

STEVEN MILES

“This is a really great question and it’s something I’ve heard from a lot of teachers about.

“The Education Minister (Di Farmer) has recently held roundtables to discuss how to better manage student behaviour and that process has resulted in a range of initiatives that we will continue to support.

“But I’m also really pleased to be able to announce that we will invest $40 million in additional teacher aides.

Premier Steven Miles kicked off the election with a visit to The Ville in Townsville on day one. Picture Adam Head

“What this will allow us to do is relieve teachers of playground and bus monitoring duty in most cases, in most schools.

“That will give teachers more time for their preparations but it will also include ... it will also ensure that our schoolyards and our playgrounds are better supervised.

“This means more teacher aides in our schools, providing more and better direct supervision of students.’’

DAVID CRISAFULLI

“The shadow education minister (Dr Christian Rowan) announced part of our education policy this week and a lot of it focuses around making sure that teachers have support to deal with those unruly people in the classroom.

“So there’s a couple of things. One is, there’s some behavioural management teachers in schools.

“Our intention is to add some extra ones of those.

“We also want to allow teachers to engage in some upskilling if they want to do some professional development in that area.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said he’d add behavioural management teachers in schools. Picture: Liam Kidston.

“But the final thing, and the biggest change that needs to occur, is teachers need to know that the government’s got their back.

“And when I speak to teachers, increasingly, what they say to me is it just feels as though ‘I’m the one having to prove what I am trying to do is in the (best) interest (of children)’.

“Rather than the default at the moment, where teachers feel like they’re up against it and the system’s not backing them.

“That needs to change and I’m determined to make sure that we set up a framework that can allow teachers to get back to doing what they’ve always wanted to, and that’s teaching.

“And that means making sure that they don’t have to spend their life bogged down in paperwork.

“I don’t want them to be treated like punching bags in the classrooms.

“We’ve put forward a number of things that can take the step towards tipping a balance in favour back in them.’’

You can submit a reader question here.