Qld teacher crisis: Two-week notice period for over-60s puts state’s education on a knife edge

Queensland’s teacher shortage crisis is potentially just two weeks away from deepening drastically, with more than 21,000 key educators on the brink. See the schools most impacted.

The huge number of Queensland teachers aged over 60 who could quit with just two weeks’ notice at any given time has sparked new fears that the current teacher shortage crisis is just the tip of the iceberg.

A whopping 21,011 Queensland teachers are aged over 60 - more than double that of teachers in the 25-29 age bracket (10,014) and quadruple those in the under 25 age range, according to new figures from the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT).

The percentage of older teachers has boomed since 2019, when just 16.5 per cent (18,051) of teachers were aged over 60. In 2024, 18 per cent of all teachers fall into that older age bracket.

The startling statistics have prompted a warning from the Queensland Association of State School Principals (QASSP) about a potential new staffing crisis, amid already serious worker shortages.

QASSP president Pat Murphy. Picture: David Clark

“This is something we need as a system to acutely aware of, because these teachers could retire at any time with two weeks’ notice,” QASSP president Pat Murphy said.

“I think we have to monitor really closely the workforce projections and ensure that we have succession plans in place for teachers in all parts of the state, and on top of that, have a pipeline of teachers ready that systems have invested in and grown their capacity.”

Mr Murphy urged the state to look forward when planning staffing, rather than waiting for problems to arise.

“I think policy makers 10 years ago across the country were not looking at this closely enough, and now it’s created the problem that the community has seen in recent years,” he said.

ACU expert in educational leadership and former school principal Dr Paul Kidson said having teachers so close to retirement would ultimately lead to wider staff shortages.

“With more leaving the system and fewer remaining this will have an impact,” he said.

Dr Kidson attributed the large portion of teachers over 60 to a combination of changing demographics and career aspirations.

“Older teachers came into teaching when it was seen as a career-long profession, but this assumption is not held by as many among the younger generations of teachers,” he said.

“Combined with this is too-high attrition rates for teachers leaving in under five years from their initial training.”

A whopping 21,011 Queensland teachers are aged over 60 and edging closer to retirement.

Dr Kidson said employing older teachers would not solve the state’s sustainability issue and if the workforce issue wasn’t addressed in a whole-of-community approach the impacts would be significant.

“Eventually there will need to be replacements for them (retiring teachers),” he said.

“Reducing the number of contracted short-term appointments would be a positive strategy to encourage more of them to stay in teaching.”

Teachers Professional Association president Scott Stanford said staffing problems weren’t just contained to older workers, with more work to be done in retaining junior teachers.

“My own son who just finished university started off doing teaching but after his first prac switched to nursing and said ‘I’m not doing that’,” he said.

Queensland Teacher’s Union Vice President Leah Olsson said the well reported national teacher shortage crisis is a key reason we’re seeing changes to the demographics of our workforce.

Dr Kidson said employing older teachers would not solve the state’s sustainability issue. NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

“Queensland teachers are currently battling workload issues, shortages of educators and a rise of occupational violence and aggression.

“Scholarships and pathways like “Turn to teaching” and “Trade to teaching“ are helping attract new teachers with life experience, to our profession,” she said.

A Department of Education Spokesman said the department undertook comprehensive workforce planning to ensure there is a sustainable supply of teachers and teacher aides to meet the demands across our 1264 Queensland state schools.

“The department employs more than 55,000 teachers (headcount) and almost 19,000 teacher aides (headcount),” they said.

“The department continues to focus on attracting, recruiting and retaining high quality teachers.”

The Spokesman said on Saturday 7 September 2024, the Minister announced an additional $71 million as part of the department’s teacher attraction, recruitment and retention plan.

“This new investment will support people who are currently studying teaching, and attract and retain our state school teacher workforce in our highest priority locations in the state.”

After 37 years of teaching in High Schools across Brisbane’s south, Sonja Kokot made the decision to retire at the age of 65 when her husband got diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Now 75-years-old, Ms Kokot said there were many teachers in Queensland that have taught in the industry for decades.

“I felt at that time, I no longer wanted to be a head of department, a middle management person. I felt it was time for a younger person to take the reins, but I still wanted to teach,” Ms Kokot said.

Despite retiring from full time work, her love for teaching remained and continued to stay in the industry as a relief teacher for primary schools.

”Relief teaching, it keeps me connected with what is going on and I really just enjoy the experience of teaching children.

”Teaching, for me, is a joy.”