Unqualified teachers teaching our kids due to dire staff shortage

A critical teacher shortage is forcing about 1000 unqualified university students into classrooms across the state.

About 1000 unqualified university students will have taught in Queensland classrooms by the end of the year, as a teacher shortage forces desperate measures to “plug gaps”.

The unregistered teachers are being recruited before graduating this year, as school principals are unable to fill vacancies with qualified staff.

By June 30 there had been 515 permission to teach (PTT) approvals granted by the Queensland College of Teachers, a major increase on previous years.

Of those, about 57 per cent were in Queensland state schools, with the vast majority in their fourth year of study.

The numbers were on course to surpass the 888 granted in 2022, and were a huge jump from the 177 granted in 2019 and 41 in 2012.

It comes amid a shortage of childcare educators that has put pressure on the state government’s flagship $645 million free kindy program.

The college, and the Queensland Teachers’ Union, confirmed the spike was due to the ongoing teacher shortage.

PTT teachers can be brought in for vacancies of a full term or longer, with term 3 traditionally the period when schools feel the pinch as teachers retire or take long service leave.

Queensland Association of State School Principals president Pat Murphy said schools would apply for PTT on a needs basis.

Mr Murphy said principals would “do everything in their power” to recruit a qualified teacher first. “PTT does provide a level of continuity, however, principals always prefer a qualified teacher, but when that is not available they look to a PTT,” Mr Murphy said.

Teachers’ union general secretary Kate Ruttiman wrote in August that “stealing” from the future teacher pipeline was not the solution.

Opposition education spokesman Dr Christian Rowan accused the government of trying to hide the shortage by “plugging the gaps” with non-registered teachers. He said the “exponential” increase in non-registered teachers was the result of poor planning and a failure to resource the education system.

“This state government has comprehensively failed to deliver a teacher workforce strategy that attracts, and retains teachers to deliver the world-class education Queensland children deserve,” he said.

The college said PTTs were approved to teach if they met certain eligibility guidelines.

Schools must be unable to find a registered teacher, while applicants must have adequate knowledge, qualifications, skills and training.

A department of education spokesman said the number of PTTs engaged in Queensland state schools made up less than 1 per cent of the total teaching workforce in 2022.

“The department has a suite of teacher attraction, sourcing and retention initiatives and continues to prioritise efforts in this area to ensure it is well-placed to respond to the current and forecasted demand for teachers,” the spokesman said.