#183 Yeah, nah...

In more than 20 years involved in education, the conditions have never been so tough for principals, teachers and support staff.

Just last week a local primary school had 18 staff members absent; 11 teachers and seven teacher assistants.

Can you imagine how they coped?

Another school made 26 phone calls to source one relief teacher when they needed six. Calls made after hours and off the side of desks, adding additional workload to already exhausted and overworked teachers.

A primary school in Hobart had 20 staff absent. And sadly, hardworking, committed, dedicated, experienced and long-term staff members are contacting us daily wanting to quit.

There were teacher shortages before the pandemic because of excessive workload, low pay and under-resourcing, and all of this has been exacerbated because of COVID-19.

The outgoing premier, whom I wish the absolute best in retirement, said last year that there were 1700 teachers ready to serve in a relief capacity.

Frankly, that statement was total rubbish.

Some of those on the list work for me daily advocating for our educators, some of them have absolutely no intention of returning to the classroom in any capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic, some of them no longer live in Tasmania, and some of them already had a contract for the new school year.

But the state government, blindly, kept portraying that all was okay when we all knew it was not. They still are.

The state government continues to paint a rosy picture, but our students are also suffering.

Learning is disrupted in many schools with attendance fluctuating widely in some classes as teachers struggle with lesson planning for a revolving door of students.

The newly minted education minister, the Hon. Roger Jaensch MP, had the perfect opportunity to stand up for educators when he released the COVID-safe schools plan for 2022.

However, and instead of addressing issues that have been raised on a continuous basis, Minister Jaensch simply followed the Term 1 plan, deciding to implement the status quo. The state government says it has been 'beefed-up', but if that is the case, it was a dreadfully skinny rump.

At the worst possible time another crushing blow came with Prime Minister Morrison's budget cutting $33.7 million from already-underfunded Tasmanian public schools and there was not a peep out of the Premier or the Minister for Education.

There was not even a cent either to assist with the upgrade of ageing school buildings, but they did find extra millions to give to already-overfunded private schools.

Public schools were cut to the bone years ago and now we are into the marrow.

Department of Education staff are doing their best to implement the state government's COVID-safe schools plan, but the so-called plan is the Minister's responsibility.

The fact that we cannot find out how many site outbreaks there are in schools and colleges shows the lack of transparency and accountability by the state government.

The frustration is palpable. The stress is unfathomable, and the result will be demoralised teachers who keep on keeping on for the kids at the expense of their mental and physical health.

The situation is unsustainable and if nothing significant changes it will worsen in winter.

Expert tradespeople were employed across Tasmania to jimmy windows that were screwed shut due to chilly air in the depths of winter.

The plan - ventilation would automatically be improved if you scraped back years of enamel paint and allowed windows to open on one side of the classroom. Yeah, nah ...

Teaching is a calling and success is unfortunately underpinned by goodwill; it always has been, and the reason students achieve great outcomes is because teachers work more unpaid hours than any profession I know.

The worst job in Tasmania right now is being a relief coordinator in schools and colleges.

This task is completed off the side of teachers' desks, often early in the morning, and late into the evening when their own families should come first. It is an unenviable job at the best of times, but at its worst, it is demoralising and has the potential to lead to significant stress and illness.

From experience, when the pressure is on you hear the relief phone ringing when it is not.

You teach all day yourself to avoid applying additional pressure to colleagues, you deal with the inevitable behaviour management issues because of a lack of relationships between relief teachers and students through no fault of professional staff. And once you have finished with your shift of relief coordination you ensure that the ringtone is never ever again heard on your personal phone.

There are some very practical steps that Minister Jaensch could have immediately taken:

1. An emergency increase to school budgets.

2. A comprehensive ventilation audit in school and colleges.

3. The introduction of P2 or KN95 masks instead of surgical masks and consideration of implementation across primary schools.

Minister, with multiple resignations, it is time for you to stand up for us and put your mark on Tasmanian education.

Drop the spin, listen intently, acknowledge how tough it is for principals, teachers and support staff, and redraft the plan.