Today’s NAPLAN results shows after 12 years the Perrottet Government has presided over record lows for student outcomes, with results particularly alarming for Year 9 boys.  
 
Under this Government, we’ve had chronic teacher shortages. That means kids have dealt with merged classes, cancelled classes, or teachers teaching subjects they aren’t trained in – and clearly its having an effect on education outcomes.
 
The report shows grammar and punctuation outcomes for Year 9 boys are the poorest on record.
 
A whopping 12,500 Year 9 students cannot write at the minimum standard, while almost 9,000 Year 9 students cannot read at the minimum standard.
 
Since 2016, this year’s cohort of Year 9 students has gone backwards in reaching the minimum standard in every subject.
 
For example in 2016, 97.1 per cent of Year 3 students were meeting the national minimum standard for writing. Six years later and only 86.1 per cent of that same cohort are meeting the minimum writing standard as Year 9 students.
 
These results follow international PISA results which show that between 2006 and 2018, NSW students dropped from 6th to 23rd in reading, dropped from 9th to 31st in maths and dropped from 3rd to 23rd in science.
 
Labor’s plan
 
NSW Labor has already begun announcing measures to reverse declining education outcomes, starting with fixing the teacher shortage in New South Wales.
 
Labor has already announced a Minns Labor Government will:
 

• Convert 10,000 temporary teachers to permanent, to give teachers the certainty to make teaching their life’s work
• Reduce the admin burden on teachers by 5 hours a week, freeing up more time for teachers to focus on student outcomes.
• Restrict mobile phone use in NSW high schools, to cut distractions in the classroom.

Prue Car, NSW Shadow Minister for Education, said:

“When so many students aren’t even meeting the minimum standards, let alone achieving their best, it’s clear change is needed.

“Under the Perrottet Government chronic teacher shortages are leaving students with cancelled or merged classes every day. This is no way to run an education system and it’s affecting students results.

“Student outcomes have continued to go backwards over 12 years of Liberal National Government in NSW, which is letting students across the state down.”

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