Overhaul for teaching degrees, independent oversight among expert panel recommendations

The boss of Australia’s oldest university has called for more investment in teaching degree pracs, as senior school figures across the state lament the quality of teachers currently being produced.

The boss of one of Australia’s biggest unis has backed calls to allow student teachers to be paid for their in-school placements, while handing down a landmark report plotting out an overhaul of teaching degrees nationwide.

University of Sydney Vice Chancellor Mark Scott said “more investment needs to be made around prac” especially in hard to staff areas.

“If we want students to teach in regional and rural schools, and want them to do pracs in those areas, that might come at a significant financial cost for students,” Professor Scott said.

“One of the things that we think should be worked on in particular, is providing them with … financial support to do those pracs.”

He also recommended that older teaching students with existing qualifications should be pre-approved to be paid to teach quicker.

Sydney University Vice Chancellor Mark Scott, chair of the Teacher Education Expert Panel, has handed down the group’s final recommendations to the government. Picture: John Grainger

“The failure to recognise that financial burden that exists on mid-career applicants for teaching means that we may not have a stronger list of candidates as we would like,” he said.

“We want to streamline any bureaucratic impediments that might exist, and rather than having to do multiple agreements with multiple higher education providers … the Department of Education can take on that work.”

Professor Scott’s report, endorsed on Thursday by state and federal ministers, recommends greater regulation of teaching degrees, with uniformity in “core content” like literacy, numeracy and classroom management skills.

It would also see a national oversight body created to independently verify that the revised set of accreditation standards are being upheld.

NSW teachers and parent groups praised plans to force universities to improve students’ prac experiences. Graduate teachers have been left increasingly underprepared for the realities of the job, they say, leaving more experienced – and overworked – staff to pick up the slack.

An experienced principal from Sydney’s north said students must be placed in school settings sooner in their degrees, more frequently and for longer periods.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has been urged to act on the recommendations. Picture: Liam Kidston

Those who graduate with little experience are a “labour intensive” burden to senior staff, she said.

“When you’ve got beginning teachers, you’re dipping constantly into school funds to support them, and moving experienced teacher resources into support them as well. They’re on a really steep learning curve,” the principal said.

Central Coast Council of P&Cs President and former university pro chancellor Sharryn Brownlee said she constantly hears from teachers and school leaders frustrated by the lack of classroom-readiness of graduates, and urged Education Minister Jason Clare to take urgent action.

“Don’t just have another review for the sake of it,” she said.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a minister and a government to make substantial changes around teacher training. It would be negligent to not take all the recommendations and act on them.”