Education Minister Sarah Mitchell on teachers and her vision for the future of NSW schooling

The lockdowns of Covid played havoc in our classrooms, leaving parents confused and teachers overwhelmed. But Education Minister Sarah Mitchell says she understands what families are going through enough to settle the war.

When your job puts you in charge of educating the next generation, there are a lot of people who are free and easy with their assessment of how good you are at it.

For NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, who was in control while Covid wreaked havoc in every classroom, not all of the feedback was good.

There are times the trolls on social media are so vicious she has to avoid reading it all. And she is in the middle of a complicated stoush with teachers who emerged from the pandemic feeling more overwhelmed and under-appreciated — not to mention underpaid — than they were before Covid struck.

But the mum from Gunnedah in the state’s northwest says she and the new-look Perrottet government are equipped to navigate a way through. The senior ministers have kids of their own and understand what parents and students are dealing with.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell with her husband Anthony and their daughters Annabelle and Matilda, pictured at home in Gunnedah. Picture: Tim Hunter

Speaking with The Saturday Telegraph in Gunnedah, Ms Mitchell said the government has never been more family-orientated than with father-of-seven Dominic Perrottet at the helm.

And asked how the culture had changed since Gladys Berejiklian resigned as Premier in October 2021, she said: “I think it is a bit different.”

“Dom’s a dad and family is so important to him, and with Matt Kean as Treasurer, he’s also got a young family, so we’re all really switched on to what parents and families need.

“There’s going to be a big shift now with how that is reflected in our family-focused policies and this week’s budget.”

Ms Mitchell has spent 11 years in parliament, including the last five as Early Learning Minister and three in the Education portfolio.

But her relationship with the state’s teachers hasn’t always been easy.

She went on the attack after May’s industrial action over pay and conditions, labelling the strike as “blackmail”.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell labelled the teachers’ strike for better pay and conditions on May 4 “blackmail”. Picture: John Grainger

The NSW Government has since taken the Teachers Federation to court on the issue, demanding it be fined for the school shutdowns. Ms Mitchell is also dealing with chronic teacher shortages, especially in the bush, which schools say have left classes unsupervised.

But Ms Mitchell insists she has a strong connection to the teaching fraternity, and is in tune to their needs.

“A lot of the teachers I know are friends of mine, my cousin works at one of our local schools, and my sister was a teacher for a long time,” she said.

“They all do talk to me about the admin and what we need to do to get rid of some of the red tape. I hear that loud and clear.

“But they also tell me it’s a great profession and they love what they do.

“I’ve had a friend who teaches at a small school not far out of Gunnedah and just last week she said how much she loves the school and the kids and she wouldn’t do any other job.”

Asked whether not having worked as a teacher in the past was detrimental to her work in education, the Minister said no.

Instead she said she welcomed feedback from those in the industry, despite some teachers walking out of schools and refusing her meetings.

Sarah Mitchell said being a mum influenced many of her decisions as Education Minister. Picture: Tim Hunter

“I think what matters is that you listen to those who are working in schools every day,” Ms Mitchell said.

“I spend a lot of time visiting schools, and it’s my favourite thing to do, to go in, talk to the principal, talk to the kids, the teachers, and go into the staffrooms.

“I really appreciate the frank advice that comes because you need to hear it so you can make the right decision in terms of policies and support.”

Although Ms Mitchell welcomed constructive feedback, she said online trolling could at times be overwhelming.

The Minister has faced a series of online attacks over her handling of the Education portfolio.

“There are some really horrific things people will write on my social media,” she said.

“Everyone thinks that we’re politicians, and we don’t care, but you do.

“Sometimes you do have to tune out and say, I’m not going in the comments because it’s really nasty stuff. But I guess you’ve just got to learn to deal with it.”

While logging out might be easy, switching off is harder. Ms Mitchell said the teacher stoush and other complexities of the job take a toll, even when at home.

“I find that because of the enormous responsibility of the role, it does weigh heavily on me,” she said.

“There is also fairly frequent media in this portfolio, which is a good thing, but it means I don’t ever really have a day off. There’s always something we’re either planning for or responding to.

“I’m not as good at switching off as I could be and I’m probably spending more time on my phone when I’m at home than I should.

Sarah Mitchell says the enormity of her role weighs heavily on her. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“But just like anybody I spend time with my family and friends, go for a coffee or unwind at the end of the day with a glass of wine.”

The mum-of-two remains a proud resident of Gunnedah, where she was raised and attended school before being elected as a Member of the Legislative Council in 2011.

Since taking on the role at age 28, she has married husband Anthony and had daughters Annabelle, eight, and Matilda, four, with the girls attending the same public school their mum did.

“When (then NSW Nationals leader) John Barilaro put me in charge of the Early Learning portfolio in 2017 I was a young mum who was trying for a second child,” Ms Mitchell said.

“I think he saw the correlation between the role and my age and the stage of life I was in, and so he really backed me to be there.

“Being in that role while I’m living that very real experience of what it’s like to find a place at daycare, having to pay those fees, choosing where to send the kids to school, finding after school care and wanting to give them every opportunity, has made this job very close to my heart.

“Yes, I’m a minister, but first and foremost, I’m a mum from Gunnedah.”

It was the influence of her daughters as well as time abroad that led her to this week’s announcement of an extra year of schooling for three and four-year-olds, to be introduced in NSW by 2030.

Inspired by the Canadian system, universal pre-kindergarten will be a mandatory year of public education before kindergarten to get kids ready for ‘big school’.

Ms Mitchell said she hoped the reform would one day be her legacy.

“If we can get those early years right and decrease the number of kids coming in who are developmentally vulnerable, and make sure everyone’s got the supports they need before day one, then their school journey will just be so much better,” she said.

“I sort of see that as the perfect combination of both my portfolios coming together, and to be able to introduce that would be an amazing legacy to have from my time as minister.

“We’re not quite there yet in NSW but that’s where I want to go.”