FRIDAY marks World Teachers Day but in the Hunter, not everyone is celebrating.
The event comes just days after the state government confirmed 10,000 lessons across NSW go untaught daily because of casual teacher shortages.
A casual shortfall of 31 per cent continues across the Department of Education's regional north sector that includes the Hunter. There are 163 permanent teacher vacancies in the same area, which represents seven per cent of state-wide vacancies.
And more schools are set to be constructed in the region, upping the count of vacant teaching positions. Minister for Education Prue Car confirmed in July a new Medowie high school will be constructed by 2027.
When asked at the time how new schools in the Hunter would be adequately staffed, Ms Car said the government aimed to "attract teachers by making teaching an attractive profession".
Last month, the NSW Teacher's Federation endorsed a state government offer for increased pay in a bid to combat teacher shortages. The starting salary for NSW teachers has increased by 12 per cent to $85,000.
NSW Teachers Federation regional organiser Jack Galvin Wright said the agreement was an important step but "unmanageable teacher workloads" also needed to be addressed.
"In the Upper Hunter, the situation is particularly bad as split classes, and minimal supervision are prevalent in many schools," he said.
Most of the Hunter does not fall within the perimeters of the government's rural teaching scholarship, aimed to incentivise teachers to move out of cities.
But regional universities are aiming to solve the shortage by rolling out accelerated teaching courses that recognise prior learning.
UON will offer a Graduate Diploma in Teaching from next year, creating high school teachers in 12 months. The course is open to people with a relevant bachelor degree looking for a career change.
The course has been "front-loaded" by condensing pedagogy and two practical teaching experiences into the one-year course. Students will then be eligible to teach while completing three more subjects to obtain a Master of Teaching.
UON's Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor John Fischetti said the program created an alternative to current courses, which require students to step out of employment. He was confident the calibre of teaching would not be compromised.
"We have dealt with the current reality that we need people in the classrooms sooner," Professor Fischetti said. "
But he said a curve in Hunter shortages may still be several years away. Current Year 12 students were turning down teaching degrees in higher rates than previous cohorts because they saw the stress placed on teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"[There is] a 20 to 25 per cent downturn all around the country now in first year enrolments from out of school leavers," Professor Fischetti said. "It's going to be the mature-age folks coming back that will need to take this up."
Hunter local Kylie Bardetta has been working as a learning support assistant in a Newcastle Catholic school for five years. She decided to become a teacher after her husband found the Collaborative Teacher's Aide Pathway course at Charles Sturt University, which fast-tracks a Bachelor of Education for people working in support positions.
Mrs Bardetta said her studies would not be possible without support from her colleagues, husband and teenage children, who help her study on days off or late at night.
"I didn't think I could commit four years [to a degree]," she said. "But the pathway course provides that reduced study time. I thought, 'I'm being recognised for what I currently can do and have done', so that shortened study period really changed my mind.
"I'd like to have a different impact on students," Ms Bardetta said.
