Ageing teachers prepare for retirement
The age imbalance of public school teachers in New South Wales may result in a “less-than-ideal” staff mix in the near future, warned a University of Sydney associate professor of education. Professor Michael Anderson said the classroom needed both young and older people to create “diversity” that would enable students’ learning outcomes to be maintained.
The age imbalance of public school teachers in New South Wales may result in a “less-than-ideal” staff mix in the near future, warned a University of Sydney associate professor of education.
Professor Michael Anderson told The Sydney Morning Herald the classroom needed both young and older people to create “diversity” that would enable learning outcomes to be maintained and improved throughout a student’s schooling years.
The comments came after the NSW Auditor-General, Peter Achterstraat, recently highlighted concerns about the ageing teacher workforce at public schools as thousands of teachers prepare for retirement.
“We need to do more to attract and retain young teachers to a profession that is essential for our children and our future prosperity,” Mr Achterstraat said.
A report to Parliament showed more than 44% of public school teachers were older than 50 years old, whereas in 1986, more than half of Australia’s teachers were under the age of 35 years.
According to the NSW Teachers Federation president, Bob Lipscombe, little had been done to “deal with the problem” of an ageing teacher workforce.
“[Schools] are facing an avalanche of retirements over the next few years… in times of teacher shortages, those schools will be even harder to staff,” he said.
In NSW, about 20% of public school teachers are under 35 years and less than 10% are reportedly under 30 years.
