Catholic schools boss wants teachers trained within a year to stem ‘looming crisis’ shortage

The Catholic schools boss has called for a return to the one-year Graduate Diploma of Education that was scrapped in 2016 as teacher shortages begin to bite the private sector.

Schools will soon struggle to find competent teachers ­unless new recruits can be trained in half the time.

That is according to ­Catholic schools boss Dallas McInerney, who has called for postgraduate teaching courses to be shortened from two years to one.

Catholic schools are not immune to the teacher shortage that has already begun to bite the public school system, where principals have this year been forced to assign classes to teachers completely unfamiliar with subjects, bring former teachers out of retirement, and even shelve entire subjects.

Student teachers and scholarship recipients of the Catholic Education's "Step Into Teaching" program Morgan White (male) and Monique Fenech (female) pictured at St Justin's Primary School in Oran Park with Year 3 student Jenson Vella. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

With an ageing teacher population and too few young teachers to meet forecast school growth, Mr McInerney said the teacher shortage was a “looming crisis”.

Modelling suggests Catholic system schools will need an extra 2000 teachers within a decade, which does not account for the likely retirements among its 2100 teachers aged 60 or older. Public schools will need an extra 11,000 teachers within a decade, according to a separate study conducted by the NSW Teachers Federation.

Attracting more mid-­career teachers from other professions is considered vital, which is why Mr McInerney is championing a return of the one-year Graduate Diploma of Education that was scrapped in 2016 and replaced with a two-year Master of Teaching degree. Before the “DipEd” was dumped it was the most popular postgraduate course, which is why Mr McInerney is ­confident teaching standards can be maintained even if training is condensed.

“The status quo is not delivering for the profession or students,” Mr McInerney said.

“We have teacher short­ages, more and more teachers teaching out of specialisation, and some schools can’t get the teachers they need.

Monique Fenech is looking forward to being able to become a full-time teacher. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“It’s time for change. If someone already has a bachelor’s degree then a one-year teaching qualification is absolutely the way to go.”

Very few workers with mortgages can shoulder the burden of forfeiting a pay cheque for two years to become a teacher, Mr McInerney said.

His call comes after the NSW Productivity Commission released a report claiming the two-year postgraduate teaching course was a turn-off for quality candidates.

Australian Catholic University student Monique Fenech, 18, is studying to become a primary school teacher and values her one day a week working at St Justin’s Catholic Parish Primary School.

“The Bachelor of Education (Primary) is four years of theory, but being in school makes you realise what teaching is all about,” Ms Fenech said.