Teachers Federation members at Temora High School in the Riverina have walked off the job over the negative impact the state-wide teacher shortage is having on their school.
NSW Teachers Federation Deputy President Henry Rajendra said staff walked out in frustration at the shortage of casual teachers affecting Temora HS and most public schools in NSW.
“This school is being hit with difficulty securing the services of casual teachers to cover absent colleagues resulting in split classes where students are supervised instead of having lessons,” Mr Rajendra said.
“This is extremely disruptive for a school but there is only one casual teacher available in the area.”
Mr Rajendra said the situation at Temora HS was unacceptable and unsustainable.
He said the Gallop Inquiry into the work of teachers found earlier this year that uncompetitive salaries for teachers and unsustainable workloads are leading to teacher shortages.”
“The workload of teachers have increased every year, but their salaries have fallen every year compared to other professions.”
“You can’t fix the shortages without fixing the wages and workload problem.”
“If we don’t pay teachers what they are worth, we won’t get the teachers we need.”