CANBERRA, Aug 3 – Every school teacher in Australia will face annual performance assessments from next year and those found wanting will be sent back to school.
Federal and state education ministers approved a new performance and development framework on Friday at a meeting in Sydney.
“Every parent wants to be confident their child is being taught by a teacher who is dedicated, professional and who is doing a great job in helping their students reach their full potential,” federal
"No need to be smart as long as you're passionate."
said in a statement.
Australia’s teachers will be assessed against national standards which set out what they are expected to know at four career stages: graduate, proficient, highly accomplished and lead.
They will be judged on evidence such as classroom observation, parental and student feedback and student results.
Underperforming teachers will be required to do “more training and development opportunities”, Garrett said on Friday, adding that “for the first time teachers will be entitled to a yearly review of their progress”.
The move comes just days after Garrett claimed teachers didn’t need to be smart or gifted as long as they were passionate.
Responding to plans by the NSW government to lift professional standards and make it easier to sack underperforming teachers, Garrett on Tuesday said: “It is not necessarily a fact that someone who is academically smart makes a better teacher than someone who isn’t.”
Education ministers on Friday also agreed to strengthen the regulation and oversight of non-government schools to ensure public funds are used responsibly.
Education departments across the country will come up with a common definition of the “not-for-profit” requirement for private and religious schools and consider joint investigations “if the need arises”.
“We want to make sure taxpayer dollars are being spent appropriately,” Garrett said.
NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli this week demanded the Malek Fahd Islamic School in Greenacre in Sydney repay $9 billion worth of public funds after a random audit found it was operating for profit.
Earlier this year Mowbray College in Melbourne entered voluntary administration with debts of more than $16 million.
AAP
