Governments have a responsibility to provide high quality comprehensive public education for everyone. The Liberals have stopped listening to teachers, are short-changing schools and TAFE, and have no plan to attract and retain teachers in the public system.
With more Greens in the NSW parliament public schools and TAFE get the resourcing needed to meet all student’s needs, teachers get the pay and conditions they deserve, and teachers and students take their rightful place at the heart of all policy decisions.
HIGH QUALITY PUBLIC EDUCATION
THE GREENS NSW WILL:
|
RESTORE TAFE
The salaries and conditions of TAFE teachers have not kept pace with the sectors, industries and professions they teach or the ever-increasing demands of their jobs. The current salary, conditions and workload of TAFE teachers has become a barrier to retaining existing teachers and the recruitment of new teachers. TAFE teachers are now paid less than school teachers despite being required to have additional expertise.
The Greens NSW and Australian Greens will ensure fair and just salary increases for TAFE teachers and reverse the casualisation of the TAFE workforce. The Greens will deliver 100% funding to TAFE from the State and Commonwealth budgets with no competition from private providers.
The Government has failed to properly resource TAFE, relying on less accountable private providers. Consequently, the number of available student places has declined (mostly in regional areas) further exacerbating skills shortages.
THE GREENS NSW WILL:
|
UNIVERSAL PUBLIC PRESCHOOL
We know that access to quality education in the preschool years is key to a young person’s lifelong health and wellbeing, as well as being crucial to future prosperity.
Making profit from young children and families, as well as taxpayer subsidies, detracts from the primary focus of quality early childhood education. NSW has one of the highest levels of privatisation in early childhood education in the world with only 7.5% of approved services being publicly owned and run. Public pre-schools have demonstrated better outcomes and ensure that all parents and children have access to high quality early learning appropriate to their circumstances.
THE GREENS NSW WILL:
|