Women Teachers and Girls Education Committee (WTGEC)

The 10 member Women Teachers and Girls Education Committee exists to carry out tasks relevant to women and girls in education, including:

• providing advice to QTU Executive and making recommendations to QTU State Council
• monitoring issues affecting women workers, such as paid maternity leave and discrimination
• reviewing and developing policy
• liaising with other QTU standing committees
• overseeing the organisation of the Biennial QTU Women’s Conference
• seeking expertise, information and advice from up to two relevant experts (who may not be QTU members), if required.

Letitia Murgha is this year's QTU nominee for the QCU Emma Miller Award, which recognises the outstanding contributions women activists make to their unions.

Letitia, who is a Kalkadoon and Kutjala woman, lives and works in Weipa, where she is the Parents as First Partners project officer/teacher at the Weipa Campus of Western Cape College. She has been nominated for the award by the QTU.

As well as working for the Department of Education and Training for 30 years, she is also a member of the Queensland Indigenous Education Consultative Committee, the peak advisory committee directly advising the Queensland Minister for Education and Training and the Federal Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations on Indigenous education, training and higher education issues.

Within the QTU, Letitia has been the workplace rep at the Weipa campus of Western Cape College since 2005 and has been a member of Gandu Jarjum, the QTU's Indigenous committee, since 2006. She prides herself on having reinvigorated Labour Day marches in Weipa and takes an active role in QTU campaigns, such as the current Weipa hostel campaign.

Leititia is a fierce advocate for Indigenous students and their communities, and a staunch union activist. The QTU is very proud to have been able to nominate her as the first Indigenous recipient of the Emma Miller Award.

The Emma Miller award ceremony is on 19 November.

Leah Mertens
QTU Women's Coordinator

AWE The Association of Women Educators:

The Association of Women Educators was formed in 1983 by a number of women from the Queensland Teachers’ Union and the Queensland Independent Education Union in response to the need for a voice for women and girls in education.

AWE, through its branches and executive, works actively to further the participation of women and girls in education.
 
The Association:

• works to eliminate all forms of discrimination in curriculum, in institutional practices and in policies
• encourages and supports women, so that they can effectively pursue careers in education
• encourages and supports women in the decision-making processes at all levels in the educational system
• responds to issues of concern for women, both in education and the community
• lobbies for further reforms and change generally to enhance the position of women in education and society.

This work focuses on:

• education as a career path for women
• issues which affect the quality of education available to girls
• societal attitudes/actions which perpetuate a stereotypical view of women and create a barrier to the full participation of women in education and in society generally.

How the AWE works