Australia’s peak teacher’s union has rejected the Education Ministers’ announced feasibility study investigating a one-year education master’s degree as “an attack on the qualifications of the teaching profession.”
The study, announced in 2020, will explore the possibility of offering a one-year master's degree in education for aspiring teachers with the aim of attracting more high-achieving graduates to the teaching profession and to streamline the process of becoming a qualified teacher.
The one-year master's degree in education would replace the traditional two-year postgraduate teaching qualification currently being offered. The Federal Government hopes that by reducing the length of time required to become fully qualified, both the recruitment and quality of teachers will be improved.
However, Australian Education Union federal president, Correna Haythorpe said members would “never accept a move that undermined Australia’s teachers”.
“It is less than a decade since Education Ministers agreed to a two-year Master’s degree, a move that was widely applauded as a measure that would enhance the qualifications of Australian teachers,” Haythorpe said.
“We are at a loss to understand why Education Ministers would commission a study to shorten the time required to ensure teachers are fully prepared to enter the classroom. Put simply, this is bad policy.”
Haythorpe said the announcement was made without any consultation with the teaching profession through the AEU, adding “any changes to teaching qualifications must be made in consultation with the profession it impacts.”
“The National Teacher Workforce Shortage Action Plan, which was signed off by all states and territories and the Commonwealth, was developed in a consultative process and set out a clear agenda for addressing the workforce crisis,” she said.
“One-year Master’s degrees are not part of this plan.”