The NSW teacher shortage has almost tripled over the past 18 months, according to documents obtained by NSW Labor.
 
The latest data from the NSW Government shows that the number of teacher vacancies has exploded from 1,148 in May 2021 to 2,963 on 31 October 2022 – a 258 per cent increase.
 
The state’s teacher shortage surged by 20 per cent over a three week period alone – up from 2,458 vacancies on October 10.
 
It comes almost 10 years to the month that the NSW Government was warned by a 2012 Auditor General’s report about the prospect of a looming and systemic teacher shortage.
 
The report foreshadowed a teacher shortage caused by an ageing teaching workforce, noting “almost 55 per cent of the Department’s school teachers are 45 years of age or older” with 26,665 teachers within this cohort.
 
The NSW Government’s own data now shows that 10 years later, this same cohort – now over the age of 55 – totals to 11,274 permanent teachers in NSW schools.
 
This means that NSW has lost 15,391 permanent teachers within this age group in the last ten years.
 
NSW Labor has pledged to improve the recruitment and retention of new teachers by creating 10,000 permanent teaching roles and reducing administrative workloads by five hours per week.
 
Chris Minns, NSW Labor Leader, said:
 
“This surge in the Liberals’ and Nationals’ teacher shortage is deeply concerning.
 
“Every day, parents, students and teachers experience the real-world impact of this shortage, through merged or cancelled classes, and students being left with minimal supervision.
 
“The neglect of our state’s teaching workforce by the Liberals and Nationals is particularly egregious when you consider that they were warned a decade ago, and still sat on their hands.”
 
Prue Car, NSW Shadow Minister for Education, said:
 
“The Premier and the Minister for Education continue to remain in denial about the teacher shortage in this state.
 
“But parents, students and teachers know all too well that the Liberals’ and Nationals’ teacher shortage is real and it is getting worse under this 12 year old government.
 
“The people of New South Wales deserve a government that will not only acknowledge there is a problem, but offer the practical solutions to address it.”

CHRIS MINNS MP
NSW LABOR LEADER
 
PRUE CAR MP
NSW DEPUTY LABOR LEADER
NSW SHADOW MINISTER FOR EDUCATION