Record number of teachers welcome students back to school
A record number of new graduates have received their approval to teach in NSW public schools this year, as the largest-ever teaching workforce welcomes students back into the classroom for Day 1, Term 1 2023.
Premier Dominic Perrottet extended a warm welcome to the 4,500 new graduates who have received their approval to teach in NSW public schools – the highest number since 2011 – and to the 95,000 public school teachers, beginners and veterans, returning to schools across the State.
“A great teacher can change the course of a child’s life. Every single doctor, nurse, police officer, lawyer, scientist, and even politician, is a product of our school system,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Teaching is an incredibly rewarding career. Every teacher standing at the front of a classroom this year, whether it is their first year or their tenth, has chosen this career because they are passionate about ensuring the next generation receives the high-quality education they deserve.”
In another major boost for the workforce, Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell confirmed more than 15,000 existing temporary teachers and other school-based staff will be offered permanent positions during 2023, providing more job certainty and ensuring teaching remains an attractive profession.
“We want our staff to have the choice to access the employment certainty of a permanent role or the flexibility of a temporary one,” Ms Mitchell said.
“We’ve been able to blow our initial expectations of 10,000 permanent offers out of the water and will offer 15,000 staff permanent roles in 2023.”
The high number of temporary teachers in the public system is a result of record investment by the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government thanks to their long-term economic plan. This has seen teacher numbers outpace student growth and increase above the required number of permanent roles.
The first cohort of eligible temporary staff to receive an offer of permanent employment during Term 1 this year are those working in priority rural and remote schools, at Schools for Specific Purposes, and Connected Communities schools. In addition, all eligible Aboriginal Education Officers have been included in the first tranche of offers.
“As the record number of applicants shows, there has never been a better time to choose teaching in NSW. I encourage anyone looking for a career change in 2023 to visit our Teaching Opens Doors website and explore our many innovative pathways into teaching,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will maintain a relentless focus on attracting and retaining NSW public school teachers, removing unnecessary admin tasks from their workload, and introducing sweeping reforms to recognise and reward our best teachers with salaries of up to $147,000 a year.”
Since 2011, the number of teachers across NSW has increased by almost 10,000 – almost twice as fast as student growth.
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