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AAP
AAP
Business
Mibenge Nsenduluka

Fears Vic teacher shortage at crisis point

Principals across Victoria increasingly fear the state's teacher shortage could reach crisis point in a matter of months.

A union survey of 242 public school principals found more than 80 per cent said it had become "much harder" to fill staffing vacancies across all areas of the curriculum in the past year.

Additionally, nearly 50 per cent said they were "greatly concerned" about having enough teachers to fill vacancies for the start of the 2023 school year.

The Australian Education Union surveyed education leaders across primary, secondary and special schools in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

The main reasons cited for teachers leaving the profession were burnout, stress and workload.

AEU Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said the data was concerning.

"We're seeing unprecedented levels of staffing vacancies in learning areas such as Generalist Primary, English, Maths and PE," Ms Peace said.

The AEU recommended retention payments and workload reductions as part of a 10-year plan to combat the issue.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the survey data was concerning.

"Every industry is having trouble finding staff. That's why this jobs summit is not just for private sector," he told reporters on Tuesday.

Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins said the state government is working to combat the issue.

"We're working hard to address current school workforce issues that are impacting the education sector across the nation - but we won't compromise the quality of teachers in Victoria to grow the workforce," she said.

The Victorian government is providing $41.7 million to attract more teachers to fill hard-to-staff positions in public schools across the state.

This year's state budget included $779 million to recruit 1900 extra teachers to reduce face-to-face hours and provide more time for planning, preparation, assessment and developing teaching practices.

The maximum number of face-to-face teaching hours will be reduced by an hour a week in 2023, and a further half an hour in 2024.

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