Reduced postgrad teaching pathway would put ‘unqualified’ teachers in classrooms: union

Education experts have hit back at the teacher’s federation after the union lashed out over a plan by the NSW government to halve the time it takes to study a postgrad teaching course.

The NSW Teachers’ Federation has been slammed as “conservative”, “stale” and “increasingly redundant” after opposing plans to fast-track postgraduate teacher education.

If re-elected, the Perrottet government would reverse a decade-old decision to replace the one-year Graduate Diploma of Education with a two-year Master of Teaching degree, a policy which the NSW Productivity Commission says has discouraged around 9,000 people from becoming teachers.

Doubling the length of the degree was “undoubtedly well-intentioned”, NSW Productivity Commissioner Peter Achterstraat said, but has not improved teaching quality or education outcomes.

The union responded by claiming reinstating a one-year pathway for postgraduate students would put “unqualified teachers” in classrooms, despite approximately 17 per cent of teachers currently working under the shorter diploma.

Teachers’ Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said cutting the qualification in half “is not a solution, but rather could very well contribute to the (teacher shortage) crisis”.

A proposed plan to halve the length of time teachers need to become qualified has been slammed by the union as ‘lowering standards’ of NSW education .

Additional course and units were implemented to better prepare beginning teachers with the modern demands of the profession, he said.

“[The government] wanted graduate teachers being better prepared in inclusive education to better meet the needs of students with disabilities … (and) students from non-English speaking backgrounds.”

NSW Teachers Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos. Picture: Damian Shaw

However, a 2018 survey indicated 17 per cent of NSW teachers hold diplomas, not Masters’ degrees, accounting for up to 15,000 teachers currently employed in the public system.

Mr Gavrielatos admitted those teachers should since have undergone training to address new challenges in the classroom, but maintained ongoing professional development should not be conflated with new teacher qualifications.

Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) education program director Glenn Fahey said the union’s response was disappointing, and not supported by the evidence.

“This is another example of the Teachers Federation becoming increasingly redundant in their ability to address the needs of their members,” Mr Fahey said.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell belives the move will help those swapping careers transition faster to the classroom. Picture: David Swift

“The Federation is standing in the way of a modern, contemporary and effective workforce.”

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the new one-year Masters pathway is “a high quality rigorous option”.

“Unfortunately our students and our current teachers are being let down by a conservative and stale union,” she said.

The teachers’ union was all but alone at sea on Wednesday as universities and school representative bodies backed the proposal.

Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Glover welcomed the shorter pathway as complementary to the uni’s existing pathways to teaching.

“For those who are looking to capitalise on their industry experience, an accelerated pathway allows highly qualified professionals to enter the teaching workforce sooner,” he said.

Association of Independent Schools of NSW Chief Executive Margery Evans also supported the policy reversal as an incentive for highly-educated career-change professionals to boost the reputation of teaching.

“An influx of experienced people from other sectors, particularly science, would go a long way to society regarding the teaching profession more highly,” she said.