The ongoing teacher shortage crisis has prompted NSW education officials to make calls to thousands of retired teachers in a bid to encourage them back into the classroom.Credit:Louise Kennerley
Opposition education spokesperson Sarah Mitchell said the government “should be championing initiatives like shorter master’s degrees,mid-career programs targeting specific subject areas and earlier engagement with university students to address these vacancies as a matter of urgency.”
A NSW Education Department spokesperson said initiatives to attract more teachers into the profession include making thousands of temporary teachers permanent,a $20 million Innovative Teacher Training Fund to develop new teacher training methods and expanding flexible pathways for career-changers.
“The Department actively engages with universities and initial teacher education students to promote the benefits of working in public education. This includes encouraging students to work part-time with the department while completing their final year of study,” they said.
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