Invest in professional learning and curriculum support
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 129 No 5, 19 July 2024, page 7.
Our teachers and school leaders are committed to maintaining up-to-date professional knowledge and skills. This commitment sees them engaged in activities that focus upon professional renewal, maintaining currency in professional matters, and keeping up to date with curriculum design and pedagogical practice.
The Queensland education system is built upon the dedication of its educators. The significant and relentless pace of change over the past decade has seen requirements in the professional realm increase and expand.
There have been major changes to the Australian Curriculum, an intense focus upon capability development and “improvement agendas,” and changes to preferred pedagogical frameworks. In addition, assessment, moderation and reporting processes are in a constant state of flux. It is the members of the profession that have “absorbed” the costs associated with this important work by undertaking it in their own time, with insufficient resourcing or time provided to assist them in this endeavour.
Many socio-economic factors impact upon access to digital technologies for students and educators. The current pace of technology growth is such that this is likely to be exacerbated. To avoid creating additional gaps in the digital divide, access to ICT, inclusive of artificial intelligence (AI) programs, needs to be equitable. To keep up with 21st Century education requirements, our teachers and school leaders need additional training and support in the ethical use of generative AI.
Additional funding for technology grants, which will ensure equitable access to AI technology for our students, must be included in budget considerations. There must also be a strong commitment by the government to continued representation of a teacher voice on advisory and peak decision-making bodies considering the use and implementation of digital technology in schools.
The goodwill and commitment of the profession is at breaking point, and it was essential that the 2024/25 State Budget allocated funds for measures that make up this deficit in funding and resources and support teachers in doing this crucial work.
While the department acknowledges that there has been significant work undertaken to prepare for the implementation of Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum, the QTU has long advocated for significant resourcing and support in addition to what was initially provided. And while the department also recently allocated a further $2 million in Teacher Relief Scheme (TRS) resourcing, additional resourcing to small schools, and funding that can be accessed via school supervisors for targeted individual and cross-school curriculum planning, more is still needed.
The lack of additional funding for professional development to support curriculum implementation, and proposals to review and reduce teacher and school leader workload in the recent 2024/25 State Budget announcement is disappointing.
We now turn our attention to the forthcoming finalisation of the National School Reform Agreements. Only through provision of 100 per cent of the school resourcing standard will workload intensification be addressed.
We know already that this year’s Federal Budget has failed to increase the Commonwealth share of the SRS to 25 per cent. This was another missed opportunity to deliver a nation-building investment for our children and our country.
The issue of full funding of state schools is unfinished business for the Albanese government, and it must be resolved this year.