NSW state MP for Murray Helen Dalton has called for urgent changes to current teaching conditions, as teachers statewide participated in their first statewide strike in over a decade.
Relentless paperwork on top of the ongoing staff shortages are the genesis of the strike, with calls for the NSW Government to make changes to the way teachers are treated in terms of their employment.
A former teacher at Griffith North Public School, Mrs Dalton was vocal in her calls for changes to be made as she joined around 200 teachers protesting in Griffith last Tuesday.
“Every school in my Murray electorate seems to complain to me about a chronic teacher shortage,” Mrs Dalton said.
Mrs Dalton has highlighted the need to create more incentives to bring teachers to rural areas, which could include pay bonuses, rental subsidies and relocation assistance.
“If Wollongong schools can’t get teachers, just imagine how tough it is for schools across the Riverina and Far West NSW?” she said.
Mrs Dalton highlighted the lack of incentive to become a rural teacher, as the NSW Government continues to increase teacher admin workload.
Uncertainty around teaching positions is another concern for Mrs Dalton, given the NSW Government has reportedly refused to give teachers permanent positions in rural schools, with some staff working for 20 years who are still casuals.
Although the teachers are the ones who have to operate under these conditions, Mrs Dalton says the biggest impact is on students.
“It’s our children who suffer as a result.”
