The teacher shortage is a global problem.
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While education continues to be a number one factor in creating lifelong opportunities for individuals, the focus on maintaining the status of the profession of teaching has been on the decline.
National education expert Barney Dalgarno, who is University of Canberra's education dean, said the teacher shortage across Australia, including Tasmania, has been created by two key factors. A failure to retain teachers already in the profession, and a failure to attract quality people into the job. Indeed, Tasmanian figures show this very problem.
University of Tasmania data reveals that there were 479 undergraduate and postgraduate education and teaching students in 2021. At the same time, 495 permanent education department employees resigned or retired.
Professor Dalgarno said it is this mismatch between the number of teachers leaving and the number of new people entering the profession that is causing the shortage.
"We need to understand the conditions that are leading to both a lack of retention of teachers in the workforce, as well as insufficient demand for people commencing teacher education programs," Professor Dalgarno said.
In terms of leaving the profession, he said the job has got harder, but the pay and salary progression opportunity has not reflected this. He said there are three things making the job harder.
"There are a lot more expectations on teachers to collect data on students, to record that data, reflect on that data and report on it," he said.
"It has also got harder with additional compliance requirements, a classic example of this is a five page risk analysis for excursions."
In addition to the job becoming harder, Professor Dalgarno said pay was also a contributing factor.
"What some teachers are saying is 'I still love the job, but it is a really, really hard job, and if they just paid me better I would be happy to stick with it'," he said.
He added that while starting salaries were acceptable, salary progression was an issue.
"The ceiling for a classroom teacher who doesn't move into a leadership role is a lot lower than the ceilings of other professionals after ten years," he said.
"So after ten years [their pay] can max out, whereas most people in a lot of other professions continue to see higher salary progression."
All of these things combined also help to create a negative image of teaching, which in turn, makes it harder to attract people into the job. Professor Dalgarney said union battles for better recognition of the teacher profession, better working conditions and improved pay, have an impact.
"When all of this is reported in the media it can make a person who is considering studying to be a teacher think 'this sounds like a really hard job, maybe I'll choose an easier one'."
Australian Education Union president David Genford said Grattan Institute figures project that Tasmania's student population will rise to more than than 85,700 students over the next four years, which is 2342 extra students than a decade ago.
"Based on expected student growth a minimum of 168 new full time teachers will need to be employed by 2026, on top of replacing high numbers of retirements."
Mr Genford said the state government needed to look for proactive ways to attract and retain teachers.
"Cost of teaching degrees can be a barrier to entering the profession, and the AEU welcomes ways of incentivising more people to take up a career in teaching," he said.
"A comprehensive teacher mentoring program for new educators must also be established to combat the 30 per cent attrition rate for Tasmania's early career teachers."
Professor Dalgarney said in other states attempts had been made to address the salary progression issue, such as rewarding teachers who can show they have reached certain standards.
"In New South Wales for example, if you demonstrate that you reach those standards you can get an extra five to ten thousand dollars a year, but to demonstrate that halted status is massive.
"You have to produce this portfolio of evidence, it takes most people two years to compile it, and the amount of work required just to demonstrate it is so far beyond what is reasonable."
He said a system for salary progression and career promotion is required.
"We need a more streamlined, manageable way of identifying teachers who are doing a really good job, and who deserve to keep going up the pay scales once they hit the current ceilings."
Regarding the attraction of new teachers, Professor Dalgarney said one way to attract quality people into the job was to make it easier for career changers to enter the profession.
"This is one area where a lot of people are saying there is a real opportunity to increase the numbers of people studying teaching," he said.
"Those who have a degree in science, maths or an arts degree, who are considering moving from one profession into becoming a secondary teacher."
Professor Dalgarney said currently, it took about two years of full-time study for these people to complete the training required.
This meant doing two years of unpaid study, or having a longer study period whilst still maintaining reduced employment.
One solution put forward is to have one full year of study, to get the foundations of teaching, and then two years of only part-time study whilst also having a teacher placement.
"They can finish off their masters degree whilst being fully paid as a teacher," Professor Delgarney said.
"We can say, take a unit of work that you need to develop in your teaching right now ... and then as part of your study, report on the theoretical underpinnings, present it, and evaluate your findings," he said.
"You are capitalising on what they are doing in their practice ... but you also reduce the financial barriers for career changers who have families, mortgages to pay."
