A survey of almost 3,000 teachers and school leaders in WA has revealed the state government faces an uphill battle to convince education staff that it’s doing a good job in public education.
The State School Teachers’ Union of WA president Pat Byrne said there were a number of reasons that survey respondents gave for their dissatisfaction.
“Some teachers and school leaders said they were upset by a lack of funding, while others said they had maintenance and Occupational Health and Safety issues they felt were not being addressed by government,” she said.
“Education staff have sent a clear message that they are unhappy with the state government’s performance in public education over the last three years.
“The government will have a tough job on its hands convincing them before the next election."
The survey also found that school staff had serious concerns about how their school was being resourced under the government’s Student Centred Funding Model.
Over half (53.8%) of respondents believed their school was under-resourced or significantly under resourced. Only 5.7% believed their school was well resourced.
The survey also found 43% of principals believed their school was under resourced or significantly under resourced. Only 12% believed their school was well resourced.
Many principals believed that schools were inadequately staffed in IT support (74%), administrative staff (41%) and student services (67%).
“35% of principals also believed their school was inadequately staffed in Education Assistants,” said Ms Byrne.
“The government has cut large numbers of Education Assistants over the past two years, and teachers are certainly noticing their absence in the classroom, with less individual attention for students in need.
“The union will be paying close attention to all parties’ education promises in this election campaign, and we are encouraging our members to vote for whichever party they believe puts education first.”
Click here to view the detailed responses on these issues.
