NSW needs to recruit a minimum of 11,000 teachers by 2031 to meet record enrolment growth and the number rises to almost 14,000 if the student to teacher ratio is lowered to the national average, new research recently released reveals.

The report by education economist Adam Rorris shows the size of the recruitment challenge posed by the expected surge in the number of students enrolled in NSW public schools.

It also reveals NSW has more students per teacher than any other state or territory in public primary and secondary schools.

NSW Teachers Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos said: “Even if NSW maintains student to teacher ratios at the highest level in the country an estimated

11,095 additional teachers will be required to meet enrolment growth to 2031.”

“That number rises to 13,724 if we have a student to teacher ratio that is equivalent to the national average. Teacher numbers would increase from 54,502 full time equivalent (FTE) in 2020 (ABS figures) to 68,225 FTE in 2031 – an increase of 25 per cent,” he continued.

“This additional number of teachers would still be below the required numbers considering the projected rise in student needs and complexity in NSW schools.”

Mr Gavrielatos said recruiting the additional teachers will be a major challenge given there are growing shortages of teachers across NSW affecting public and private schools.

“NSW is facing a classroom crisis. The independent Gallop Inquiry was clear that the NSW government won’t fix the shortages or recruit the additional teachers required without a significant increase in salaries,” he said.

“While the workloads of teachers have increased every year, their salaries have fallen every year in comparison with other professions. If we don’t pay teachers what they are worth, we won’t get the teachers we need.

“The proposed 1.5 per cent salary increase per year for the next three years is going to make the profession even less attractive – particularly given the increasingly complex and challenging work teachers do every day.”