FED: Teachers should be paid more than $100,000 per year: report

AAP General News (Australia)
08-04-2008
FED: Teachers should be paid more than $100,000 per year: report

By Julian Drape

CANBERRA, Aug 4 AAP - Teachers should be paid according to their performance and the
best should receive more than $100,000 a year, a new report suggests.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) commissioned study adds weight to the push for
higher salaries, started earlier this year by the Business Council of Australia (BCA).

It also follows comments last month by federal Education Minister Julia Gillard that
top teachers should be better "rewarded".

The latest study, conducted by the University of NSW, suggests a set of national standards
to assess teachers who want to be classified.

Those that met the mark would become "accomplished teachers" and paid at least $100,000 a year.

"To tackle the teacher shortage and attract and retain quality teachers we need to
offer rewarding salary and career structures," AEU federal president Angelo Gavrielatos
said in a statement.

"Establishing a national assessment and classification structure for accomplished teachers
is possible based on standards and criteria already being used in various ways across
the states."

Mr Gavrielatos called on the Rudd government to respond "with a clear funding commitment".

"Currently, there are few options for such teachers other than to move into leadership
and administrative roles which take them and their teaching abilities out of the classroom
where they are most needed," he said.

The government has welcomed the AEU research report, saying it recognised the need
for change and is working with states and territories to facilitate better rewards for
teachers.

"This proposal from the profession is timely as COAG (the Council of Australian Governments)
is developing its National Partnership on teacher quality," Ms Gillard said in a statement.

Governments needed to find ways of valuing excellent teachers "to keep the best teachers
in front of classrooms".

In May, the BCA said top teachers should earn up to $130,000 per year.

Currently, the highest rate for public classroom teachers is around $70,000.

The council said it would cost $4 billion to introduce a national certification performance
pay system.

Last month, Ms Gillard suggested Australia should follow the lead of the United Kingdom
and the United States, where governments have joined forces with business and charities
to attract the best and brightest graduates into teaching.

AAP jcd/rl/jm/cdh

KEYWORD: TEACHERS

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