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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-30 Daily Xml
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World Teachers' Day

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.B. Martin:

That this council—

1. Notes that on Friday 27 October 2023, South Australia celebrates World Teachers' Day;

2. Acknowledges the central importance of teachers in our society; and

3. Congratulates all teachers for their hard work, dedication and tireless efforts.

(Continued from 1 November 2023.)

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (17:02): I rise today to show my support for this motion and thank the Hon. Reggie Martin for bringing this motion to the chamber. It is great for South Australia to join the nation in celebrating World Teachers' Day on Friday 27 October to recognise the hard work, outstanding contributions and profound impact that teachers have in our society.

In my culture, my grandparents always said that there are two things that will change your life forever, the two things being the people you are going to meet, particularly teachers because anybody can be teachers if you meet the right people as they can change and shape your life, and books. Teachers really have a profound impact on their students and subsequently shape the future of their lives.

Internationally, World Teachers' Day is officially recognised on 5 October each year. This marks the anniversary of the signing of the recommendation concerning the status of teachers in 1966 by the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO. However, as 5 October falls in the middle of the school holidays here in Australia, a different day is adopted on our calendar to make sure that our teachers do not miss out on celebrating this special day. Therefore, Australia has celebrated the day on the last Friday of October since its inception in 1994.

This year, the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership set the theme for World Teachers' Day as 'Hats off to teachers'. Students, educators, parents and people around the world were encouraged to share their hats-off selfies and tell the world what teachers meant to them. Whether it was a baseball cap, beret, bucket hat, beanie or bowler, it was great to see so many people participate in this challenge and help to spread the word about how great our teachers are.

On behalf of the Liberal members, it is a great honour to salute all of our wonderful teachers across our state. South Australian teachers come from over 600 government schools, over 100 Catholic schools and a further 100 independent schools, according to the Australian Schools Directory. Close to 450 of these schools are in Adelaide, with the remaining spread out across our regional and rural areas. These numbers show how teachers represent an astoundingly large number of professionals in our state, and we must acknowledge and pay our respects to them.

I want to acknowledge also the outstanding work of my esteemed colleague, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. John Gardner, during his time as education minister in the Marshall Liberal Government and currently as the shadow minister for education, training and skills.

I also want to quote the Hon. John Gardner, because he made a speech recently—on 1 November—in the other place in which he mentioned:

The range of work that successive governments do seeks the best for our students, for our children, and every program of course has to be delivered, and the people who do that work are our teachers. We ask a lot of them.

That statement is so true. We do indeed ask a lot of our teachers. One group of teachers in particular that I would like to highlight today are our community language schoolteachers, who play a special and important role in our society, particularly within our multicultural communities.

These language teachers are volunteers, and they do not always have it easy. They are often not a permanent fixture of any schools. They have no dedicated teaching classroom, and sometimes they have to run their classes outside regular school hours and even on the weekend, which means they have to deal with very tired and distracted children.

However, their impact cannot be overstated, as they provide invaluable experiences and opportunities to our children. As well as the much documented developmental benefits that learning another language has on children, language teachers have to expose their children to many different cultures, acting the way they have acted with dedication and commitment.

In South Australia, the community language schools of South Australia support 95 separately incorporated ethnic school authorities, which teach a total of 47 languages. I want to give my thanks to the volunteer teachers in that regard as well in speaking to this motion.

Once again, I want to thank the honourable mover for moving the World Teachers' Day motion. With those words, I commend the motion.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (17:08): I rise also to support the motion on behalf of the Greens and want to start by thanking the Hon. Reggie Martin for putting this forward and giving this chamber an opportunity to recognise the important role that teachers play in our society.

As has been observed by the Hon. Jing Lee, World Teachers' Day is held annually on 5 October, but it is observed here in South Australia on 27 October. It is held annually around the globe, and I quote from the UNESCO website:

It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. The Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel was adopted in 1997 to complement the 1966 Recommendation by covering teaching personnel in higher education. World Teachers’ Day has been celebrated since 1994.

UNESCO goes on to note that the day is a time to:

…celebrate how teachers are transforming education but also to reflect on the support they need to fully deploy their talent and vocation, and to rethink the way ahead for the profession globally.

I think we all had cause to reflect on the important role that teachers play in our society during the pandemic, when parents were forced to teach their children at home—or work with teachers, rather, in supporting them in the home environment. From the discussions I have had with many of my friends who had kids at home during the pandemic, I know how challenging that was, and the appreciation that that gave them for the remarkable work that teachers do and the vital role that they play in our society.

Given we are talking about the important role of teachers, I do want to use this opportunity also to urge the government to resolve the dispute with teachers. It is concerning that we have seen such significant underinvestment in the public education sector in our state over many years. I recognise that is not just a fault of this government; it has been a long-term challenge, and there has not been appropriate investment in public education from governments of either persuasion over the years. It is something I really urge the Malinauskas government to remedy.

I understand the Australian Education Union has revised its position for a salary increase of 8.64 per cent up-front and a 5.4 per cent increase in the following two years, down to 6 per cent in the first year followed by 5 per cent in the second year and 4 per cent in the third year. This would represent an increase of 15 per cent over three years, and would take SA educators from Australia's lowest paid to a level closer to the national midpoint. They are also requesting additional resources be made available to their schools so that they can better support students.

I urge the government to find a solution here. I know the Minister for Education, the Hon. Blair Boyer, is someone who is really passionate about education. In my dealings with him I have found him to be someone who really wants to deliver good outcomes for education in our state, but I really do urge the government to pay teachers what they are worth and to ensure that our public schools are appropriately resourced so that they can meet the needs of students, parents and our communities. With that, I conclude my remarks and indicate that the Greens will be supporting the motion.

The Hon. S.L. GAME (17:12): I rise to speak to the honourable member's motion regarding World Teachers' Day, acknowledged on Friday 27 October. The honourable member's motion acknowledges the importance of teachers. I proffer a more nuanced view on this topic but, nonetheless, begin by reiterating the importance of the role teachers play in society. I offer the following viewpoint in the context of recent South Australian teacher strikes that saw the Australian Education Union and educators calling for better pay and conditions statewide.

Firstly, I firmly believe that teachers who show they can make an impact are those who should be better rewarded, particularly those teachers working at what I would describe as challenging schools. In this context, my definition of impact is those who help students achieve good academic results and/or those who make a positive impact on students in other ways, such as engagement and behaviour. Fortunately, South Australia has plenty of teachers who fall into this category. Congratulations to them.

As a former teacher myself, I also want to see teachers return to their core job, and that is not acting as social workers, it is teaching. One Nation has been told of teachers basically being required to travel in pairs around to their students' homes looking for kids who are repeatedly absent from school. Teachers are required to follow up attendance, but these types of duties are taking them away from the classroom. The message is that teachers should be allowed to focus on making sure children can read and write.

Teachers are being forced to eject more and more students from classrooms because parents are setting poor examples at home. This is an increasing challenge for educators everywhere. However, this does not mean that all teachers should automatically receive a pay rise. Like private enterprise, reward the top performers and urge and help the poor performers to improve, but do not apply a blanket handout just for the sake of making their protestations go away. It is called incentivising, and it is a key platform for One Nation.

One Nation endorses calls for an overhaul of our national curriculum, which is increasingly to blame for students leaving school with subpar reading and writing levels. Employers across many professions that I speak to are increasingly frustrated that young people fresh out of schooling lack basic literacy and numeracy to carry out entry level positions. One in three students are now unable to meet NAPLAN's basic literacy standards, which is unacceptable.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (17:15): I am pleased to rise in support of this motion. World Teachers' Day serves as a poignant reminder of the invaluable contribution educators make to society. This annual acknowledgment provides an opportunity to express gratitude for the teachers' unwavering commitment to nurturing minds and fostering a love of lifelong learning.

We know that education has the power to be transformative, it can end cycles of poverty and create new opportunities. World Teachers' Day also serves as a platform to raise awareness about the challenges educators face. My inbox is flooded with emails from teachers who feel their job is no longer just about teaching. They are being stretched every which way to support the young people in their classrooms.

Today, I want to shed light on a particular group of educators who play an absolute crucial role in shaping the future of our communities in regional South Australia, and that is our agricultural teachers. These dedicated professionals are the unsung heroes who sow the seeds of knowledge, cultivate the minds of our youth and harvest a future of prosperity for our regions.

In the heart of our rural landscapes, where the fields stretch as far as the eye can see, the livelihoods of many depend on the bounty of the land. The importance of ag teachers, as they colloquially refer to themselves, cannot be overstated. They bridge the gap between tradition and innovation, ensuring that the agricultural practices that have sustained us for generations are not only preserved but also adapted to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

One of the primary roles of agricultural teachers in regional South Australia is to instil a deep appreciation for the land and its resources in the hearts of our young people. Through hands-on experiences they teach the value of hard work, of patience and the core country value of giving everything a red hot go. These lessons extend far beyond the classroom, fostering a sense of responsibility and stewardship that is essential for the sustainability of our agricultural heritage.

Ag teachers build communities and forge connections between generations that is essential for the prosperity and succession of our region. Through agricultural programs, workshops and community events they create opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing and collective growth. In my time spent over the years at many country shows across the state, as well as the Junior Heifer Expo, the South Australian Sheep Expo and of course the famous Royal Adelaide Show, I have spoken with dozens of ag teachers about the programs they run with their students.

One of the things they all report being proud of is the student commitment to seeing something through. This is a life skill, a worked, learned and earned skill that students do not often receive otherwise in the classroom. Getting ready for an expo or for a show means students cover animal assessment and nutrition, commercial classing, knowledge of diseases and animal welfare, reproductive technologies, industry familiarisation, and of course stock handling and ring craft.

It is extraordinary what these young people are learning through their agricultural teachers, and as part of World Teachers' Day I am proud as a regional resident to recognise and celebrate the indispensable role of agricultural teachers in regional South Australia. We know that for every single agricultural graduate there are six well-paid secure jobs waiting for them in South Australia.

I was glad to utilise Friday 27 October to help spread the word about the importance of agricultural teachers in primary and high schools. They are the custodians of our agricultural heritage, the mentors of our youth and the architects of a sustainable and prosperous future. As a community, let us continue to support and appreciate these dedicated professionals who, through their passion and commitment, ensure that the fields of our regions remain fertile, not just in terms of crops but in the minds and hearts of the generations to come.

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (17:19): I rise to briefly speak to this motion. I thank the Hon. Reggie Martin for bringing it to the chamber. Much like being a farmer, being a teacher is something that you have to love. It is a passion that drives teachers. In my maiden speech, I spoke about one such lady who had a huge impact on my life, and that was Mrs Yvonne Hogarth, my teacher in year 7. She fostered my creative streak and she loved every single one of the kids who passed through her classroom. Mrs Hogarth is still with us and is still a teacher, even though she has retired.

I want to touch on a couple of other teachers who have not only touched my life but the lives of so many other people in Australia. One of those is my little brother, Liam Hay, who is a teacher at Scotch College, teaching maths and science, and he is also a student wellbeing leader. Liam loves the kids. Liam makes sure that they feel wanted and that when they have issues they know that they can go to Mr Hay and they will be heard.

I would also like to quickly touch on another teacher who I know is dearly loved in Mount Gambier, and that is Mrs Vicki Gleed, who has taught both my daughter, Piper, and my son, Arlo. Seeing young kids—reception-aged kids—walking into a classroom and just wanting to be at school because of the way that their teacher, Mrs Gleed, makes them feel, is so wonderful. It embeds in these very young children a love for school and a love of education, because of the love that is coming back from their teachers.

I hear from many teachers and principals from around South Australia, and indeed in the regions, that teachers are being asked to be so much more for their students. They need to be there for their wellbeing and the increased needs and behaviour issues that we see in our schools. Teachers are under pressure, and we are looking at a terrible situation where teachers are leaving the profession they love because they do not feel supported. I hope that we can support our teachers and we can ensure that those Mr Hays, those Mrs Hogarths and those Mrs Gleeds are still there for our children, instilling a love for education.

I thank every single one of the teachers we have in South Australia for the passion and dedication they show to our kids. They treat them like their own kids, and that is so important to ensure that our kids are well educated and well balanced and grow up to be great members of our fantastic state. Happy World Teachers' Day to all our wonderful teachers in this state. We love you, all the Mr Hays, Mrs Hogarths and Mrs Gleeds out there. Thank you.

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (17:22): I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Hon. Ms Lee, the Hon. Mr Simms, the Hon. Ms Game, the Hon. Nicola Centofanti and the Hon. Ben Hood. It is clear that all those people who made a contribution have had someone in their schooling who has made an enormous impact. I am definitely in that category as well, with some amazing teachers who have helped me to get where I am today. Teachers make an enormous contribution to South Australia, when they choose that profession of teaching, helping people make the most of every opportunity, and for that we should all be very thankful.

I would like to use the opportunity the Hon. Sarah Game has given me through one of her comments. I might have misheard, but I think I heard that she was suggesting that teachers should stick to teaching and not the social stuff. While I appreciate and understand where she is coming from, I will use that as an opportunity to tell a bit of a story about my sister-in-law, who for quite some time was a teacher in one of the poorest and lowest socio-economic areas in our state.

She was an excellent teacher and changed the way that her school kept statistics on how they were performing. One of the things that she did was to not just concentrate on the teaching, she also spent many hundreds of dollars a year of her own money, as did other teachers in her school, to make sure that some of those kids who came to school had actually been fed, that they would get their breakfast, they would get something to eat. She bought many pairs of shoes for kids who were coming to school in winter without shoes, and she also would spend money, as did the other teachers at that school, on clothing.

While yes, it is important that teachers try to make sure that those kids have every opportunity in life, sometimes that means they have to do that little bit extra, or they choose to do that little bit extra. I for one wish they did not have to do that, to go into their own funds to provide those things for children, but it is the harsh reality that in some of those situations there are only those teachers who can do that. For them, I think that is an absolutely amazing thing, to step over and above their role of just teaching, and they should be commended for that.

Once again, I thank all the members for their contribution. I thank all those teachers who make an enormous impact to everybody's lives and I wish them all a very great and happy Christmas and festive season.

Motion carried.

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