ALBANESE GOVERNMENT GETS IT WRONG ON TEACH FOR AUSTRALIA

30 September 2024

The Australian Education Union welcomes the announcement of additional funding of $70.9 million for the recruitment of more teachers into schools. However, today’s announcement has continued the previous Coalition government’s preference for providing funds to Teach For Australia (TFA) to “fast track” people into the teaching profession.

With 475 of the 1500 additional High Achieving Teachers (HAT) Program announced going to TFA, it is clear that the Albanese Government has failed to learn from the evidence base that exists on the implementation of programs such as Teach for Australia (TFA).

Recruiting unqualified and inexperienced TFA associates to teach in the most disadvantaged communities is not just counterintuitive, it is damaging for all concerned, with the evidence showing that such ‘fast track’ programs are wasteful, inefficient and undermine both the quality and retention of the teaching profession.

What the evidence says:

  • The program is expensive, with the Commonwealth having provided $57 million for the program from 2008–09 to 2017–18, followed by additional funding of $20.5 million to 2020–213.
  • The Commonwealth Government has now promised an additional $70.9 million to HAT million in funding for fast track programs, with the largest amount earmarked for TFA.
  • The Commonwealth has provided close to $80 million to the program since 2008, close to $100,000 for each associate it has produced and $120,000 for each TFA graduate who remains working in schools
  • Senate Estimates data shows that just over half of all TFA graduates are still working in schools - 659 of 1,440 (57.8%)[1] and TFA’s own data shows that just 41.0% are working as teachers[2]
  • While only 14% of TFA associates were originally placed in above average SEA schools, more than half (51%) of those who remain are now working in above average SEA schools. TFA Graduates are leaving the schools in disadvantaged communities that the program is supposed to help
  • Less than 20% of TFA Graduates are still teaching in Outer Regional, Remote or Very Remote schools[3]

Australian Education Union Federal President Correna Haythorpe says “We want a properly qualified, well-supported profession and that starts with high quality initial teacher education.

“Fast track programs run the risk of not providing the essential support needed for teachers to fully develop their skills. You don’t fill workforce shortages by lowering the qualifications. You fill them by proper planning to address supply and demand issues and by all governments committing to strong attraction and retention provisions for the workforce, starting with full funding so that teachers and support staff have the resources they need for teaching and learning,” said Ms Haythorpe

ENDS

Notes to editors:

[1] SQ24-000300

[2]https://teachforaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Teach-For-Australia-2023-Impact-Report.pdf p. 23

[3] SQ24-000300


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