Country: Australia Keywords: Teacher Shortage, Education Crisis, Permission to Teach, Teacher Workload, Education Policy
Australia is facing its most severe teacher shortage in decades, with public schools increasingly relying on university students who have not yet completed their teaching qualifications to keep classrooms running. The crisis in the education system is raising serious concerns for both teachers and students.
To ensure schools remain open, state governments have expanded the use of “Permission to Teach” schemes. Under this system, university students enrolled in teacher training programmes are placed directly in classrooms before graduating. Last year, 1,294 such permissions were issued in Queensland, while 1,347 were granted in Victoria.
Although authorities describe the measure as a temporary solution, pressure on the ground continues to intensify. Experts warn that trainee teachers are being forced to balance their studies while working as full-time teachers, creating a heavy and often unsustainable workload.
The impact of the teacher shortage is being felt acutely in some schools. At Elizabeth Macarthur High School in New South Wales, classes were reportedly merged and emergency measures introduced due to staff shortages. School administrators later said that recruitment incentives helped to ease the situation to some extent.
According to experts, teachers in Australia work an average of 46.5 hours per week, well above the OECD average. National surveys show that nearly half of newly qualified teachers are considering leaving the profession. Teachers’ unions are calling for increased funding, improved working conditions, and long-term workforce planning as part of a sustainable solution.