Media Release

Money to Recognise Skilled Teachers Welcomed

“The IEUA has welcomed the commitment of $1.25 billion by Prime Minister Gillard to recognize highly accomplished teachers” said Independent Education Union of Australia Federal Secretary Chris Watt.

“The commitment is a good start but we would expect many more than ten per cent of teachers will need to be recognized.

“The IEUA already has industrial agreements that recognise teacher accomplishment measured against standards, with no quota.

“In NSW, where the non-government school sector now educates over half of all secondary school students undertaking the HSC, these industrial agreements provide teachers with payments of over $6,000 for meeting teacher standards.

“The union has similar agreements also in the ACT.

“We expect that the money announced by the Prime Minister will be available to those schools that have already moved down this pathway.

“The IEUA looks forward to working on the development of the performance management Principles and Procedures.

“This can not be about simplistic rewards based on student test scores.

“The real test of the quality of this initiative will be evidenced by the extent to which the Principles and Procedures recognise the complexity of quality teaching.

Contact:

Chris Watt

Federal Secretary Independent Education Union

Ph (02) 6273 3107  0419 259 143