Valuing our professional standards — institute of teachers

Annual Conference reasserts the Federation's role as a professional as well as industrial voice of the profession, independent of government. This has been demonstrated most recently through Federation leadership in commissioning the Vinson Inquiry and our campaigning to achieve additional professional development funding for teachers.

Conference notes that the Interim Committee of the NSW Institute of Teachers has recently conducted consultation with teachers around the ongoing establishment of an Institute, and that a report on the outcomes of this consultation will soon be provided to the Minister for Education and Training.

The Federation does not yet have the critical details on the composition and method of selection of the governing body of the proposed Institute.

The Federation's Senior Officers are to make a final submission to the Minister clearly outlining the Federation's policy position in relation to:

• the role, charter, cost and function of the Institute;
• practising teachers being in a majority on the governing body. Teachers representing public education teachers must be elected from and by their colleagues in public education. The proportion of practising teachers elected to the governing body from public education must be in proportion to their relative numbers in the education community. Furthermore, the composition of the entire Board must reflect the relative number of teachers in the public education community and their distribution in city and country schools. This whole dot point is a prerequisite of the NSWTF;
• the mandatory registration of all teachers based on formal academic requirements and the completion of appropriate education credentials. Mandatory registration must include teachers from both the public and private sectors. This is a prerequisite of the NSW Teachers Federation.
• Development of accompanying measures that will be put in place by government to resource professional support for teachers in public schools and to recognise and reward an enhanced status for teachers;
• any individuals who are appointed/seconded to assess teacher performance for registration be practicing classroom teachers and that their appointment/secondment be for a maximum of three years;
• these professional teaching standards must recognise the diverse student needs and diverse contexts in which teachers teach;
• the involvement of TAFE teachers and educationalists in a separate, or a separate part of, an institute of teachers;
• the Institute having no role in determining teachers' salaries. This is a prerequisite of the NSW Teachers Federation.
• The Institute of Teachers is to be a body independent of the Department and the Government.

The purpose of the submission is to seek to shape the Government's proposal so that it is consistent with Federation policy.

Annual Conference notes that the restructure proposal of the Department of Education and Training abolishes the Vocational Training Accreditation Board (VTAB). VTAB currently audits registered training organisations (RTOs) to ensure that teachers delivering courses are appropriately qualified to deliver curriculum. The level of qualification standards varies across curriculum delivered and by RTOs. This is also partly determined by ANTA and the Australian Qualification Training Framework. In preparing its submission the Federation's Senior Officers are also to take into consideration the role of the proposed Commissioner of Training, and the impact of minimum qualification standards of RTOs to undermine the value of teachers and professional standards in the VET sector.

In the event that the NSW Government's proposal is not consistent with the prerequisites specifically mentioned above, the Federation will oppose the formation of the Institute. Should the Government's proposal not be entirely consistent with the remainder of Federation policy, the Federation Council is to determine an appropriate response which may include opposing and campaigning against the proposal.

Annual Conference reasserts the Federation's role as the professional and industrial voice of the profession, independent of government. This will include providing opportunities for professional dialogue and learning for members around the areas of:

• teacher induction
• leadership development
• curriculum and pedagogy and
• professional development and support.

In the short term this need may be addressed through professional development and an expanded trade union training program as well as the conduct of seminars and other professional forums. For the longer term Executive and Council, in considering the report of the ACIRRT review, should plan ways in which into the future the Federation can play a significant on-going role in these areas.

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005