Liverpool students are receiving a better education under the Minns Labor Government, as the number of students being left in merged and cancelled classes has almost halved over the last year according to a new survey from the NSW Department of Education.
The 2024 Alternative Supervision Survey tracked merged and cancelled classes across the state, which we know creates a disruptive environment for students.
The former Liberal National Government dismissed the teacher shortage crisis and refused to collect data on the true impact of merged and cancelled classes on students.
In 2023, the inaugural Alternative Supervision Survey found students had lost close to a million hours in learning over the previous year due to the teacher shortages inherited from the Liberal-National government.
This year, about half a million hours of learning has been regained through the Labor Government’s work to rebuild public education.
Students in the Liverpool electorate have had a 52% reduction in the number of merged and cancelled classes in their local schools, across the Liverpool and Cowpasture networks.
While there is more to do, the results of the second Alternative Supervision Survey show the Minns Labor Government is making progress addressing teacher shortages, which had escalated to crisis levels under the Liberals and Nationals.
Since being elected in March 2023, the Government has made progress in rebuilding public education and addressing the teacher shortage, including by scrapping the wages cap and delivering teachers their largest pay rise in a generation.
The Minns Labor Government has also converted the roles of more than 16,000 temporary teachers and school support staff to permanent roles and banned mobile phones in all public schools to help foster a more positive school environment. We are also continuing to make progress on reducing the workload of teachers through an expansion of the School Administration Reduction Program trial.
These efforts have helped reduce teacher vacancies to a three-year low, with NSW public schools reporting 24 per cent fewer vacancies at the start of Term 3, 2024 than at the same time last year.
Quotes attributable to Charishma Kaliyanda, Member for Liverpool:
“Liverpool is home to some of the best and most dedicated teachers in NSW, and this news means that our kids are having more time with them.
“I have heard firsthand from teachers in Liverpool, that the Labor Government’s reforms are making them feel valued in their profession after years of neglect.
“There remains work to do, and I am committed to ensuring a public education in South West Sydney means a quality education.”
Quotes attributable to Chris Minns, Premier of NSW:
“We are getting more teachers in classrooms, and that’s making school less disruptive for our kids.
“This is good for children and a relief for their parents.
“Parents can be reassured that we are addressing the teacher shortage crisis we inherited and we are seeing improvements.
“We know there is more to do, but we are making progress to rebuild our teaching workforce to give NSW kids the best education possible.”
Quotes attributable to Prue Car, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education:
“It’s no secret that the way to improve our students’ results is to make sure there is a teacher in front of every classroom, doing what they do best – teaching.
“The Liberals and Nationals’ long-term neglect of our education system caused damage to our educators and our children’s education, and it cannot be reversed overnight.
“We promised the people of NSW before the election that if we came to Government we would fix the issue of merged and cancelled classes across NSW schools.
“While there is still more to do, this data shows our work has our schools moving in the right direction.”
CHARISHMA KALIYANDA MP
MEMBER FOR LIVERPOOL
