Principals, parents and school communities are no closer to understanding the true impact of Labor’s teacher shortage crisis as Victorian students return to classrooms today.
Minister for Education, Ben Carroll, has today stated Victoria is facing a teacher shortage of up to 800 positions – the third different figure provided by the Allan Government in the past fortnight.
Two weeks ago, when speaking to ABC Melbourne, Minister Carroll “Look it varies, but we probably right now could fill another 300 places for our teachers”.
In contrast, just two days ago, Treasurer Tim Pallas the shortage was well over 1000, stating “Literally, we are talking thousands of teachers that we are short”.
The continued confusion around the number of teacher vacancies comes as the Allan Government refuses to release the 2022 Teacher Supply and Demand Report – a key document that analyses trends and provides forecasts for teacher supply and demand requirements over a five-year timeframe.
Shadow Minister for Education, Jess Wilson, said: “The Allan Government is clearly hiding the true depth of the teacher shortage crisis and has no plan to fix it.
“While Minister Carroll throws numbers around, Victorian kids are starting the school year without a permanent teacher.
“Rather than buck passing to the Commonwealth, the Victorian Education Minister needs to take responsibility for the Victorian Education System and ensure every student has a permanent classroom teacher.
“Labor’s teacher shortage crisis is robbing students of the high-quality education they deserve and with student outcomes at record lows, must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
