More than 300 Queensland state schools are plugging critical teacher vacancies with non-classroom-based educators to keep schools operating, as the number of vacant positions soars by 38 per cent in one year.
There were 1,050 teacher vacancies in Queensland as of the end of May this year, compared with 760 in a similar time frame last year, revealed in a Question on Notice response in the state's parliament.
It came as the extent of teacher shortages had been laid bare in a Queensland Teachers' Union (QTU) survey, showing 75 per cent of about 500 school leaders were using non-teaching staff, like principals and heads of department, to teach classes and two thirds of teachers were working outside their specialty.
Vacancies in Queensland's North Coast region spiked from 15 in 2021 to 101 in 2022 as of the end of May, a 573 per cent increase.
Meanwhile in metropolitan areas, vacancies jumped 81 per cent from 92 to 167, and 59 per cent from 138 to 220 in Central Queensland.
Region |
2022 |
2021 |
|---|---|---|
Central Queensland |
220 |
138 |
Darling Downs South West |
86 |
81 |
Far North Queensland |
161 |
209 |
Metropolitan |
167 |
92 |
North Coast |
101 |
15 |
North Queensland |
240 |
183 |
South East |
75 |
42 |
Total |
1050 |
760 |
*Source: Question on Notice
Teacher survey reveals long-term understaffing
In publishing some of the data in the QTU's journal, the union's general secretary Kate Ruttiman said it was clear the education department had been unable to "fully staff a significant number of schools over the past few years".
She said the data showed "the understaffing of schools has been increasing by at least 5 per cent per year".
The subject areas with the most significant shortages were technologies, mathematics, science, instrumental music, HPE and the arts.
Workforce shortages brutal on teacher wellbeing
The shortages led 476 school principals to indicate the impact on their staff's and their own well-being had been "high" or "significant".
"Sixty-seven per cent of teachers are working outside their areas of specialty; 54 per cent of school leaders are taking on a teaching load and 46 per cent of teaching staff are not able to access their NCT [non-contact time] and other working conditions each week."
Opposition education spokesman Christian Rowan said teacher shortages had a negative effect on both students and teachers.
"These figures reveal that the state government does not have a comprehensive teacher workforce plan for Queensland's school," he said.
"As we saw in the state budget this week, not a single educational outcome target was achieved across reading, writing and numeracy, through years 3, 5, 7, and 9.
Education Minister Grace Grace hit back at the LNP and said it was breathtaking to see the Opposition accuse the Palaszczuk government of not having a plan for the "brilliant teaching workforce, when the only plan they ever had was to cut, sack and sell".
In response to the Question on Notice, Education Minister Grace Grace said the education department was continuing to work with schools to address current and emerging workforce needs.
"Teacher vacancies are a normal part of the workforce cycle and can occur for various reasons, including planned and unplanned leave; teachers successfully transferring to another school; promotion to a school leadership position or senior role in the department; teachers returning to higher education institutes to pursue further study; resignations; and retirement," she said.
"The current recorded teacher vacancy rate is around 2 per cent of our teaching workforce of approximately 54,000 teachers.
Uni students teaching in schools in first two years
One strategy used to fill shortages is the Permission to Teach (PTT) program, which uses university students and graduates who are yet to be registered to teach in schools.
The Queensland College of Teachers granted 320 teachers PTT waivers in 2021, up from 211 in 202 and 178 in 2019.
The QTU's survey revealed one school had 9 PTT teachers on its books.
"While the majority of these were completing their fourth year of initial teacher education; worryingly, 24 PTTs are in their first two years of education study," Ms Ruttiman said in the journal article.
Queensland keen to recruit 'brightest minds'
In the latest state government budget the Queensland government revealed it would hire 675 teachers and 200 teacher aides in 2022-23, which is part of a 2020 election promise to hire several thousand teachers and teacher aides over four years
But QTU vice president Leah Olsson said the latest budget did not address the major issue of shortages in Queensland state schools.
Ms Grace said the government was on track to employ more than 6,100 new teachers and 1,100 teacher aides as promised.
"It’s good to see COVID cases coming down, and the Chief Health Officer has now advised the vaccination mandate will be lifted next week.
"We are always keen to recruit more of the brightest minds to educate our youngest Queenslanders – particularly to remote and regional areas where we know it can be more challenging to fill vacancies."
Ms Grace said that was why the department offered incentives like relocation assistance, subsidised housing, and one of the highest graduate starting salaries in the country.
"My department also maintains a strong relief teacher supply through our dedicated TRACER booking service," she said.
"Our $20 million Turn to Teaching program will support 300 people looking for a career change with financial support, mentoring, a paid internship and a guaranteed permanent teaching position in a Queensland state school."
