As the teacher shortage across the country continues to impact Australian schools, the number of unregistered teaching students being granted early approval to teach in Queensland classrooms has more than doubled in one year. Currently, these early approvals are placing almost seven times more unregistered teachers in front of students than four years ago.
State school teachers were the recipients of almost two-thirds of the early approvals, with 20 per cent in independent schools, and 16 per cent in Catholic schools.
In 2021, the number of early approvals given out in Queensland totalled 363, up from 211 in 2020.
Regional and remote schools are hardest hit by the long-term teacher shortages, with specialist subjects also severely hit by lack of teaching staff.
In the first quarter of 2023, 299 waivers were granted by the Queensland College of Teachers.
A temporary measure
Provided the person meets certain requirements, the Queensland College of Teachers can grant a Permission To Teach approval for up to two years and acknowledges that it is only a temporary solution.
Nurturing a sustainable retention strategy
Launching pathways that encourage people to become teachers, including the Turn To Teaching and Trade to Teach Program, is taking steps to attract new talent into the sector, but experts know there is more to do.
A Queensland education department spokesperson said the vacancy rate was about two per cent of the total workforce of almost 48,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers.
“These vacancies are filled in a temporary capacity to support continuation of resourcing while they are being filled permanently through formal advertising,” the spokesperson told an ABC reporter. “The balance between teacher retention and vacancy rates indicates a sustainable state-wide position, however supply challenges remain in certain geographic areas and in specific curriculum areas such as senior English, industrial design and languages other than English.”
With the Queensland Government’s 2020 election commitment to employ 6,100 FTE teachers and 1,100 FTE teacher aides by the end of 2024, there is still a long way to go.
