Scathing Report Reveals NSW Education System At “Tipping Point”

A new survey of the state's teachers has found two thirds are feeling burnt out, as more consider walking away from the profession altogether.

Results from the NSW Upper House’s Education Committee report into teacher shortages, concluded that poor academic performance by students was the result of teachers who had "barely passed their high school certificates".

Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The NSW Briefing - keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:

Chaired by One Nation Leader Mark Latham the survey found that classroom teaching in NSW was "not up to scratch" with the entire system at a critical "tipping point".

"The students have not learnt because the teachers have not taught. The quality of teaching in our state has not been sufficient to keep pace with our international competitors, and even our past performance," the report stated.

"New South Wales is paying a hefty price for a school’s industrial system that protects under-performing teachers and puffs up generous working conditions at the expense of professional excellence.

‘If we don’t uplift the status of teaching in New South Wales, we can’t uplift our school results and the lifetime opportunities of our young people. That would be a tragedy for New South Wales at every level," he added.

The report released on Tuesday, also revealed more than 80 per cent of educators feel they don't have enough time to do their job well.

However, Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the results needed to be taken with a "grain of salt" with the last two-years particularly stressful for everyone.

"We are certainly looking at ways that we can reduce the admin burden," she said. "We are on track to meet a reduction of that by 20 per cent by the end of the year."

Information about the inquiry is available on the committee’s website.

From The Monthly and LiSTNR comes The Politics Podcast, a new daily podcast that cuts through the noise and delivers you the in-depth analysis of the moments that defined the day in politics. Hear it on the LiSTNR app.