Australia’s teachers are predominantly Australian-born, female, and non-Indigenous. Most hail from middle-class backgrounds with urban upbringings, and are less likely to have disabilities.
Maya Defianty, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta and Kate Wilson, University of Canberra
When teaching critical thinking, teachers still fall back on old habits ingrained in Indonesian education. This includes a culture of rote learning and “teaching to test”.
If we don’t find ways to keep new teachers in schools then we face a teacher shortage, larger class sizes and more people teaching outside their field of expertise.
If you want to earn a high income in Australia, you’re often better off having no degree than having a bachelor degree in teaching.
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Many students in Australia don’t have access to specialist teachers in science and maths, and the problem is only getting worse.
The programs are long and intense, the creativity and relationships aspect of the vocation has been eroded, there is pervasive negativity in the media, and comparatively poor salary and working conditions.
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There’s been a drop in the number of people enrolling in teacher preparation courses. This is due to problems such as pay, professional autonomy, and a national obsession with standardised testing.
Much more must be done to keep teachers in South Africa.
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Policy needs to focus on making the teaching profession stable and more appealing. South Africa must ensure its locally trained teachers have more reason to stay in the country.