The Independent Education Union’s mobile billboard truck was on the Central Coast this week, urging the NSW Government to fix teacher shortages and pay support staff.
Central Coast stops included Warnervale on August 29 and East Gosford on September 1.
The truck is travelling all around the state looking for support from members of the public, politicians and parents of students in Catholic systemic schools in particular to back the union in striving to have the teacher shortages taken seriously, IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Secretary, Mark Northam, said.
“Teacher shortages impact everyone, from the teachers themselves and their students, right through to pre-schoolers and their parents,” he said.
The IEU represents 33,000 teachers, support staff and principals in non-government schools in NSW and the ACT as well as degree-qualified teachers in the early childhood sector.
“We’re seeking a range of straightforward solutions,” Northam said.
“Fair salaries for teachers; pay parity for support staff with their counterparts in government schools; adequate planning time; a reduced administrative load; and practical strategies to end the disastrous staff shortages afflicting all schools – government and non-government – as well as the early childhood sector.”
Northan said the IEU recently spoke at the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Teacher Shortages, at Federal Education Minister Jason Clare’s Teacher Workforce Roundtable, and at a meeting with Early Childhood Education Minister, Anne Aly, about teacher shortages in her sector.
“As the truck makes its way around the state, delegations of IEU members will also be visiting NSW politicians and writing to them with a clear request: fix this crisis in education,” he said.
On hand to greet the truck at as it arrrived on the Coast was IEUA NSW/ACT Branch President, Christine Wilkinson, who works in the region.
“Teacher shortages are having a detrimental impact on our members’ health and wellbeing,” she said.
“Ever-increasing workloads, supervision of multiple classes (with attendant duty of care concerns), and too little planning time are causing new levels of stress.
“Prompt action must be taken; it is time our voices were heard.
“This is about the future of education.
“We welcome meetings with employers and politicians’ let’s sit down and fix these issues together.”
Source:
Media release, IEU