Monday, 25 February 2013

Teach Next plan a costly failure


The Age has recently reported that Labor’s $16 million Teach Next campaign has disappointed many after dramatically failing to reach expectations; recruiting a mere 14 participants out of the promised 450 mid-career professionals to classrooms.

Announced by Julia Gillard during the 2010 election campaign, the Teach Next program was designed to lure 450 mid-career professionals from fields such as banking, accounting and engineering into teaching positions over a four year period.

The program was to specifically target teacher shortages in regional and difficult-to-staff schools, and reduce the number of teachers who are currently teaching outside their discipline. These professionals were also intended to alleviate the dramatic shortage of maths and science teachers in schools across Australia.  

Participants from the program were to undertake a six-week intensive course at Deakin University and then disperse to schools in their state, earning a postgraduate Diploma of Teaching after two years in classrooms. However various legislation has restricted the eligibility of participants, and contributed to the disappointingly low number of confirmed placements.

Do you think the Teach Next program was a viable campaign to rectify the shortage of qualified teachers in the science and mathematics disciplines in schools? Leave us your thoughts below...

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/gillards-school-plan-a-costly-failure-20130213-2edbi.html#ixzz2Kq7vk1qV

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