Jo Hersey upholds three-year teacher pay deal, commits to reducing class sizes

Average class sizes in the NT are set to decrease as the government re-commits to upholding a pay deal that aims to reduce teachers’ workloads and make Territory educators the highest paid in the country.

New Education Minister Jo Hersey. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

NT educators are set to get more pay for fewer students as the new CLP government commits to upholding its predecessor’s pay deal for teachers.

Under the pay deal announced by Labor in July, the Territory’s Transition, Year 11, and Year 12 classroom sizes will drop from 27 to 25 students.

Australian Education Union NT branch president Michelle Ayres said the union had gone into negotiations hoping to see a “fairly drastic reduction in class sizes across the board”.

Australian Education Union NT president Michelle Ayres.

Ms Ayres said NT class sizes were “too big” and it was reflected in teacher workloads and students’ academic outcomes.

“There’s a really high portion of students in the Territory – and I’m not just talking in our communities, I’m talking Territory-wide – who are performing at least two years below benchmark for their year level,” she said.

“All of this adds up to a lot of pressure for teachers, and one of the ways that it can be addressed is through lower class sizes so that teachers have more ability to get to know the learning needs of their students.

“The less students there are in a class, the more a teacher is able to develop a working relationship with that student.”

She said the plans to reduce class sizes by two students was an important step forward but was “only a mere drop in the bucket”.

A previous analysis of Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority data revealed Ampilatwatja School had the biggest class sizes in the NT with about 23 kids per teacher.

Ludmilla Primary School held the second highest ration with 21.8 students per teacher.

The deal – which 91 per cent of employees voted in favour of – also makes NT teachers the highest paid in the country.

New Education Minister Jo Hersey on Friday celebrated the previous government’s delivery of the three-year pay deal, which she said would help the Territory “be competitive” and attract more teachers.

“Over the life of the agreement, the increase represents a 13.46 per cent compounded pay rise,” Mrs Hersey said.

The deal also brings the Katherine and Alice Springs Attraction and Retention allowance to $4500 per year.

Ms Ayres welcomed the pay increase but said it needed to work hand-in-hand with reduced workload.

She said reducing that workload called for reduced administrative work and increased teacher retention.

The Teach in the Territory site showed 158 classroom vacancies across the NT.

Mrs Hersey said her plan to plug shortages hinged on offering more “permanent places” for teachers.

“We will also reduce crime and improve safety for teachers encouraging them to come and to stay,” she said.

“This includes restoring school based constables and stronger laws to ensure the communities they live in across the Territory are safe.”