Education minister promises to reduce WA teachers' workload in first major speech
Western Australia's new education minister has used her first speech in the role to call for better support for teachers and a reduction in workload, outlining the issues as a key priority for the government.
Sabine Winton told the State School Teachers' Union WA state council conference on Friday afternoon that while teachers championed their students, they needed to be championed too.
Her speech comes on the back of the union's State of Schools survey, which revealed workload, burnout and a lack of respect for the teaching profession were the key reasons eight out of 10 respondents considered quitting over the past four years.
The survey indicated 10 per cent of teachers were working more than 60 hours per week, 26 per cent more than 50 hours, and 36 per cent more than 40 hours per week.
Key influences on workload included managing student behaviour, preparing for lessons, reporting and assessments, dealing with students' mental health challenges and meetings.
Worry around teacher shortages was also raised, with many saying covering for the shortage through internal relief had compromised their ability to reach the teaching standards they aspired to, and impacted their mental health.
Another concern was schools using teachers who were not fully qualified to fill the gaps.
In her speech, Winton, who has 27 years' experience as a teacher herself, said she felt the weight of expectation and responsibility that came with being education minister, which 'keeps me up at night'.
'What I will commit to you today is that, as minister, I will apply a filter to every initiative, asking how it will make tangible differences to teachers in the classroom,' she said.
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