As principals, teachers and students get into the thick of Term 1, many regional and remote schools are struggling to find staff to fill crucial roles amid an expected surge in student enrolments.
One critical factor compounding the need for teaching staff is a reported 40% decline in initial teacher education (ITE) course applications.
One university that is off to a strong start when it comes to filling critical teaching positions in regional and remote areas is Charles Sturt, which recently announced that 700 of its teaching graduates are ready for the classroom.
“The majority of Charles Sturt teaching students are from regional areas, and following graduation they return to the regions to play an important role in the community,” Associate Professor David Smith, Head of the School of Education, said.
“We also give students that have never been in a regional setting an opportunity to experience the sense of community support for teachers in a smaller centre”.
As a member of the Rural and Regional Education Advisory Group, Professor Smith said he had an extensive understanding of the challenges regional schools face recruiting teachers, particularly in specialist subject areas ─ Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).
Charles Sturt is one of the few universities in Australia to offer a Bachelor of Education (K-12) and the Bachelor of Education (Technology and Applied Studies) program.
“Graduates of the K-12 program have the qualifications to teach at primary or secondary schools, making them more responsive to fit the demands of regional communities,” Professor Smith said.
“The Technology and Applied Studies program provides a pathway for people with TAFE qualifications to transition to a school setting, as it recognises their prior experience and learning.”
While universities are continuing to tackle the teacher shortage in rural areas, some have called for a greater focus on ensuring such areas have access to leaders as well.
Dr Vicki Cameron, PeopleBench Chief Education Officer says attracting leaders, not just early career teachers, from metropolitan areas to rural and remote regions is also becoming increasingly important to implement change and refresh and diversify isolated communities.
“Some education systems have marketed this as a lifestyle change for principals and their families,” Dr Cameron told The Educator.
“Departments have offered incentives, such as a change of pace from a hectic city life to a healthy tropical lifestyle with funded trips back to metropolitan areas, to encourage leaders to make this change”.
Dr Cameron suggested that if leaders make this move, it needs to be at least a couple of years and fit in with their family.
“So, developing a strong sense of community is important here, too. This has indeed been mentioned in a lot of research about attracting and retaining people to rural and remote areas”.