http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/the-most-and-least-popular-university-courses-since-1989-20170428-gvv123.html

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-27/high-rise-schools-and-their-place-in-australia/8477060

The State Government is predicting significant growth in the school sector in NSW (21% increase by 2031) with numbers of school aged children increasing across the State. This growth has meant that plans are underway for new multi-story high schools, rezoning of school boundaries and spending increases. At the same time a very real problem is emerging – the numbers starting and completing teaching degrees are falling. According to this article, “Education has suffered the sharpest drop of 27 fields of study –  down to just 8.3% of (first year) students in 2015”.

There has been a shortage of Maths, Science and Technology secondary teachers for years in this State. This has had an impact on decisions in some schools to run certain subjects and higher level courses. One key advantage of the Independent system is the willingness of staff to apply to our schools and the choice we generally have when searching for good staff, so this has impacted less on us than the State system. An area like Newcastle is also attractive for teaching staff to live and work – this helps to ensure we have quality staff who are trained in their teaching area and want a career in Education.

A fall in those entering teaching will put pressure on schools over the coming years. Let’s hope that the trend is reversed and students begin to see how worthwhile a career in education is. All the research around quality education continues to point to the value of a good teacher in the classroom – this is the single most important factor in a child’s progress.

I asked two members of the School Executive to comment on the article – here are their thoughts:

“So…  now is a great time to get into Education – demand will be far greater than supply and opportunities for new teachers will be broad and exciting. Government education departments will need to focus more on retention of good teachers and less on increasingly complex compliance and bureaucracy” – Mr Alan Parsons

“Perhaps young people need to think about a career in education more… it offers limitless opportunity for self-exploration, personal growth and creative expression. One possible path out of this crisis is to pay teachers more. The media doesn’t help when there are so many negative reports about those in education feeling undervalued and undermined.” – Mrs Alicha Dyer