By Jordan Baker
Teaching graduates will need a credit average in their degree and must prove "superior" emotional and cognitive intelligence to be allowed to apply for a job in NSW public schools.
Under new standards to be set by the NSW government, applicants with online-only degrees will be sent to the end of the queue and students' practical teaching experience will be heavily scrutinised.
NSW education minister Rob Stokes.Credit: Simone Cottrell
Applicants will also have to show a committment to the values of public education. The standards will apply to students beginning their education degree in 2019, and will not affect existing teachers.
Education Minister Rob Stokes said the policy was aimed at ensuring that the NSW Department of Education only hired the best teachers possible amid a boom in the number of graduates entering the job market.
"Every parent wants the very best teacher for their child, and every teacher wants to work with colleagues who are passionate, gifted, capable and really committed to their jobs," he told The Herald.
Under the new hiring standards, graduates will only be allowed to apply for jobs in the public system once they have shown superior cognitive and emotional intelligence in a psychometric test administered by the Department of Education.
They will have to demonstrate their commitment to yet-to-be-defined values of public education (such as inclusivity and diversity) in a behavioural interview, and achieve at least a credit average in their degree.
All their practical assessments will be scrutinised to ensure that they are not hiding bad feedback. Applications from students that did an online-only course will not be given preference, but there will be exceptions for students with no other option.
Mr Stokes said the standards ensured the selection process focused on aptitude for teaching as well as academic achievement.
"There would be a lot of people who would remember teachers that might have done well academically but simply were not a good fit for teaching." he said. "This is one way we can make sure we get the right people in the profession."
The move comes amid concerns that a boom in the number of teaching graduates since a cap on university places was lifted in 2012 has led to lower standards for entry into education degrees, and lower-quality graduates.
Education is cheap to teach, costing about 20 percent less than the federal government's per-student funding allocation.
There are also fears some students are bypassing a 2016 rule requiring those entering education degrees in NSW to achieve a band five in three HSC subjects by doing an interstate course online.
"The market is literally flooded with supply of teaching graduates," said Mr Stokes. "Only five or six per cent of graduates could possibly be offered jobs in the NSW Education Department.
"If there is less quality control on the way in, there needs to be more quality control on the way out. This is also a clear message to universities that we accept it's up to you to train students, but our message is 'we will take the best you've got'."
The NSW Teachers Federation will be consulted about details of the plan. President Maurie Mulheron welcomed it, citing concerns that some high school graduates were accepted into teaching with an ATAR of 50.
About 20 per cent of students were studying their degree online, he said. "Not everyone who wants to be a teacher can be a teacher," Mr Mulheron said. "High entry standards into initial teacher education are critically important.
"As the largest employer of teachers, the NSW Department of Education can ensure that the high standards are applied after graduation at the point of employment."
Andrew Norton, director of higher education at the Grattan Institute, said there has been a seven per cent increase in the number of students studying undergraduate teaching degrees nationally between 2008 and 2016.
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