Teachers have stormed off the job at Hay and Temora over a "staffing crisis" caused by lack of casual workers.
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Staff at Hay War Memorial High School and Temora High School walked out of the classrooms this week as part of a union strike orchestrated by the NSW Teachers Federation.
The union's deputy president Henry Rajendra said the shortages in Hay were so severe that teachers were having to teach subjects outside their areas of expertise.
"Our members in Hay are saying that the government's neglect and inaction on staffing is compromising the delivery of teaching and learning at their school," Mr Rajendra said.
"The staffing crisis must be addressed in order to ensure that schools are able to operate effectively and provide the best quality education for all students."
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He said the problem was just as bad at Temora High School, with students missing out on lessons altogether due to a lack of substitute teachers to cover absences.
"This school is being hit with difficulty securing the services of casual teachers to cover absent colleagues resulting in split classes where students are supervised instead of having lessons," Mr Rajendra said.
"This is extremely disruptive for a school but there is only one casual teacher available in the area."
Mr Rajendra said "uncompetitive salaries and unstainable workloads" were to blame for the lack of teachers in the region, as their salaries continued to be outstripped by other professions.
A NSW Department of Education spokesman said they were working to fill job vacancies at schools.
"Hay War Memorial High School and Temora High School currently have one teacher vacancy at each school," the spokesman said.
"The Department of Education works closely with schools on vacancies, and so far this year has filled almost 3,200 teaching positions across NSW."
The spokesperson pointed to the NSW Budget released this week, which included $124.8 million set aside for the Teacher Supply Strategy due for release later this year.
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
