The number of teacher vacancies in NSW public schools is the lowest it has been for the past three years as the Minns Labor Government works to fix the teacher shortage.

Under the former Liberal Government, there were more than 3,000 vacancies as our education system fell into a crisis.

Poor pay and an ever-increasing administrative workload meant teachers were leaving the profession and our children were forced into merged classes.

Now, under the Labor Government teacher vacancies are below 1,700.

While there are some positive signs, this is just the beginning. There is still much more work to do to fix our education system.

As Premier, I am doing everything I can to ensure that every child in NSW receives a word-class education and the best possible start in life.

We have already increased teachers’ salaries to improve recruitment and ensure your child sees the same teacher every day.

Having a qualified teacher at the front of every classroom is so important to improve academic outcomes for our students.

On top of this, I am investing $3.6 billion to build and upgrade new schools, including an upgrade to Kogarah Public School.

Finally, we have banned mobile phones in public high schools to ensure more productive classrooms and reduce opportunities for distractions and cyberbullying.

This means our children can focus on what is most important – learning in the classroom.

The Minns Labor Government is focused on building a strong foundation of high-quality teaching and learning to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for our children and establish high educational expectations for every student.

Yours sincerely,

The Hon. Chris Minns MP
Premier of New South Wales
Member for Kogarah