SA teachers reject A-E reports

by Stephen Kelly

Teachers in South Australia have held the line against the Federal Government's flawed reporting agenda.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) South Australian branch has banned the new A-E reporting format.

The South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services (DECS) has conceded that A-E reports cannot be implemented in the 2006 school year. In responding to AEU submissions in the South Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the Crown gave an undertaking that no employee would be disciplined for failing to comply with directives from DECS to implement the Federal Government's proposed A-E reports. An AEU phone survey has revealed that 17 per cent of sub branch Secretaries reported bullying and harassment of teachers and leaders by DECS to implement the reports.

South Australian teachers are to be congratulated on their strong stance in exercising sound professional judgement in reporting to parents in formats that are agreed between Governing Councils and teachers, and in a manner that clearly describes student achievement. The matter of A-E reports is now listed for arbitration from February 14, 2007 before the full bench of the South Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The AEU anticipates DECS will continue to attempt to have schools implement the reports for the 2006 school year, as is the case currently in NSW.

With growing dissent in Victoria and strong and principled bans in NSW and South Australia there are serious cracks emerging in the Federal Education Minister's attempts to coerce the states into implementing her regressive education policies. Just as there is no place for bullying of teachers by education administrations, there is no place for the Federal Government's funding blackmail to achieve its political aims. This model of coercive federalism must be rejected.

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Last Modified: 07 Dec 2006