Wagga teachers banded together this morning to call on the government to address "worsening" teacher shortages being felt right across the state, including in the Riverina.
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The president of the NSW Teachers Federation, Angelo Gavrielatos, met with local teachers and delegates on Baylis Street on Friday as part of a broader union movement.
The NSW Teachers Federation recently announced it would defer any industrial action for one month, giving Premier Dominic Perrottet an opportunity to engage in negotiations with the union.
"We've had government report after government report, we've had inquiry after inquiry, and only [Thursday] there was another government report that said that unless we lift salaries and address workloads, we will not be able to attract the teachers we need," Mr Gavrielatos said at Friday's rally.
He said the cause of teacher shortages - "uncompetitive salaries and unsustainable workloads" - must be addressed by the government.
"We ended the school year last year with 34 vacancies in Wagga," Mr Gavrielatos said.
"Those 34 vacancies impact thousands of kids ... whose education is being disrupted every single day as a result of those vacancies."
The president of the Wagga Teachers Association, Michelle McKelvie, was at the rally and said it is disappointing "nothing has been done" to address teachers' concerns, following on from last year's statewide protests.
"Previously [teacher shortages] was a problem that affected remote schools in the west, it was not a problem in Wagga; it's now a problem in Wagga [and] it's a problem across the state," she said.
Ms McKelvie said teaching isn't being promoted as an attractive profession due to the high workload, and when people do begin their careers, some leave within the first five years with burnout because "it's just too difficult".
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Personally, Ms McKelvie said she has witnessed schools across Wagga not being able to fill positions appropriately - with teachers often working outside their specialisation - or not at all.
"Teachers can't meet the needs of any of the students when these things are happening," she said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said earlier this week that the Wagga electorate currently has 20 vacancies undergoing recruitment, which is a three per cent vacancy rate - in line with the state average.
"Overall, our vacancy rates remain low for a sector of our size," the spokesperson said.
"The department has filled almost 5000 teaching positions last year, and since 2017, it has appointed more than 26,000 teachers."
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell was also contacted for comment.
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