The Education Directorate is offering new incentives for teachers to return to the classroom as casual teachers, but some say they don't go far enough as schools struggle to find relief staff.
Greg Adamson took a break from casual teaching in the ACT for a year because of health reasons. He was de-registered by the Teacher Quality Institute because he didn't meet the requirements of 20 hours of professional development during that time.
He says the registration process was too onerous for casual teachers amid a dire shortage of staff.
"It would be in the students' interest to relax regulations for casual teachers," he said.
Mr Adamson said he accepted that there would be a process of induction for people returning to teaching after a period of leave, but he feels the registration system is designed for full-time teachers.
He said the annual training requirement was turning people off returning from career breaks, such as people on parental leave or recently-retired teachers.
"They're the neglected group of teachers that form the vital roles," he said.
Last year the ACT teacher shortage taskforce found that the relief teacher model was not fit for purpose and the pool of relief teachers was ageing. Schools have been moving towards using inbuilt relief.
A Teacher Quality Institute spokesperson said if teachers were struggling to complete 20 hours of professional learning, their registration could be renewed on the condition that they complete 100 hours of professional learning over five years.
In NSW, a part-time teacher is allowed to complete their 100 hours of professional learning over seven years, while full-time teachers have five years.
NSW teachers also have the option of applying for a leave of absence which relieves them of the obligation of doing professional learning for that period.
The ACT Teacher Quality Institute ACT 2010 does not provide for a leave of absence.
Teachers have access to 513 accredited programs for their professional learning, with some available online.
In 2021 and 2022 registered teachers got five hours' credit toward their professional learning hours to recognise the work they did transitioning in and out of remote learning.
The institute spokesperson said it actively supported all teachers to meet the annual registration requirements, including during or following periods of leave.
"TQI is continually reviewing our regulatory approach to remove disincentives to teachers maintaining professional registration when they step away from full-time hours, while providing the community confidence that any ACT teacher meets the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers," the spokesperson said.
The new teacher pay deal includes incentives for recently-retired teachers or those on long-term leave to come back to the classroom as casuals.
These teachers will be able to access two days of paid leave for mandatory training and will be able to have teacher registration and working with vulnerable people check fees reimbursed.
The pay rates for experienced casual teachers will also increase from $453 to $524 per day.
Retired educator Dennis Flannery said it was a positive step which would help teachers seriously consider coming back into the classroom.
He said teachers faced barriers when they moved interstate because the states and territory have different registration systems.
"Why don't we have a national registration scheme? It just seems ridiculous," he said.
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