SSTUWA - State School Teachers' Union of Western Australia

Coalition wants to sack teachers in every public school

The Coalition’s claim that up to one in seven teachers should be sacked is further evidence of the devastating impact an Abbott Government would have on public schools across the country, the AEU said today.

Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne is today reported as confirming he believes as many as 43,000 teachers should be removed from schools across the country.

It follows his claim in an interview, published in the Weekend Australian Financial Review, that:

“In every staffroom, 5 to 15 per cent of teachers are not up to scratch, so it is commonly accepted that some students are going to be taught by underperforming teachers. This is unacceptable. What we need is for underperforming teachers to be managed out of the system.”

“This is further evidence of the Coalition’s real agenda in education. It isn’t about teacher quality, it’s about sacking teachers and slashing funding,” AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said.

“Where else could those figures have come from but from the calculator of the shadow treasurer Joe Hockey?

“Not only will they not deliver a cent of the extra $5 billion a year the Gonski Review warned needs to be urgently invested, Tony Abbott has already proposed cuts worth $2.8 billion which would hit public and private schools in disadvantaged areas the hardest.

“The Coalition has also made it clear that more of the $70 billion they propose to cut will come from education. Tony Abbott’s plan for public schools is to cut funding, sack teachers and increase class sizes. Every school would be affected.

“He doesn’t believe in public education and he would make it harder for children across the country to get a high quality education.”

“The teachers in our public schools are passionate, dedicated and highly skilled.

They achieve outstanding results, especially considering the Gonski Review has found public schools are underfunded to the tune of $3.8 billion a year.”