TAFE teachers from Sydney metropolitan colleges rallied outside State Parliament on June 19, calling on their local Members of Parliament to support their campaign for proper teaching qualifications for TAFE teachers.

Action to defend professional standards in TAFE

City and Broken Hill TAFE teachers have stopped work over the downgrading of teacher education qualifications.

TAFE teachers in the far west region of NSW including Broken Hill, Wilcannia and Menindee, stopped work for two hours on June 19 to protest the downgrading of the required qualifications for full time TAFE teaching staff to a Certificate 4 (TAA4), and in solidarity with their Sydney metropolitan colleagues.

Teachers held a protest meeting rally and free community BBQ in the main street of Broken Hill in front of the Broken Hill TAFE College main campus.

TAFE TA Far West Branch President, Jim Nolan said: "We have a staffing agreement which states that 55 per cent of teaching hours in TAFE NSW will be delivered by full time TAFE teachers. These teachers are degree qualified as well as holding qualifications in their own trade or discipline area. Surely you wouldn't want to undertake training beyond high school with teachers who were less qualified than school teachers would you?"

"The Cert 4 is where most part time casual TAFE teachers start, but taking away the degree qualification is robbing our part time casual teachers of a professional career pathway, at the same time short changing students and the community on quality teaching and learning," he said.

Insufficient funds for TAFE in Budget

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