Professor Ian Hay
TEACHING students who fail the practical element of their degrees are not allowed to graduate in Tasmania, as is understood to be occurring in Victoria.
Following a report in a Fairfax publication yesterday in which the Victorian Principals Association accused the state's universities of passing students that had failed their prac, University of Tasmania's faculty of education Professor Ian Hay said this was not the case here.
Professor Hay said the university worked closely with the Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania and it was a national requirement that teaching students spend a set number of days in schools.
In Tasmania these prac periods count towards their degree.
"They must pass both the field studies and academic requirements before they can get a bachelor of education," Professor Hay said.
"If they fail the professional component they graduate with a bachelor of general studies.
"So they still get something for their years of study but there's a requirement that they must pass both the academic and field work."
Since the federal government lifted enrolment numbers to courses last year, some universities have been accused of taking more students to counter funding and international student shortfalls.
Professor Hay said there was always pressure to see more people become teachers, however, at the University of Tasmania they have to maintain a standard to prevent associated issues down the track.
According to the Tasmanian Principals Association president David Raw the training of teachers had not changed an awful lot in the past 20 to 30 years, yet the closer alignment between universities and schools was proving to be beneficial here and around the world.
A Northern principal praised the relationship between the university and schools but said the move of more education degree courses online was detrimental as students would not develop skills important to the profession.
They said skills such as properly understanding the dynamics of a school, working with colleagues and liaising with parents was crucial to becoming a good teacher.
They said when it came to hiring a new graduate, they would look at taking someone who studied on campus and undertook voluntary work in schools, over someone who only did the degree online.
