PLEASE TAKE PART IN THIS SURVEY
Number of LOTE Contract teachers in Victorian Government schools
In March 2008, the MLTAV wrote to Ms Bronwyn Pike, Victorian Minister for Education, expressing our concern about the number of LOTE Contract Teachers in Government schools. MLTAV requested information on the following grounds (quote from MLTAV letter):
We [the MLTAV] have strong, anecdotal evidence that the proportion of LOTE teachers currently in contract positions is greater than that for teachers in other Domains. We are keen to have solid data concerning this matter.
One of our strong aims, as a Professional Teaching Association, is to attempt to address the shortage of teachers in our area. We would be very keen to meet with you to discuss the issue of working conditions for LOTE teachers. We believe that these conditions are often not ideal and lead to teachers leaving this Domain, or not being attracted to the profession of LOTE teacher.
Mr Darrell Fraser, Deputy Secretary, Office for Government School Education, replied to our letter, on behalf of the Minister, which was reproduced in full in the recent edition of Languages Victoria (quote from DEECD letter):
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development supports the teaching of Languages other than English (LOTE) in both primary schools and secondary colleges as part of the mainstream curriculum offered by schools. The Department has mounted a number of specific initiatives to support schools in the provision of quality LOTE programs in schools and will continue to work towards ensuring that all students have access to quality LOTE programs.
As workforce numbers change constantly during the year, the Department is not able to respond specifically to your request to obtain data on LOTE contract teachers in government schools. However, the proportion of LOTE teachers employed fixed-term is consistent with the proportion of teachers employed fixed-term throughout the Teaching Services.
The MLTAV is surprised that the Department is not able to provide specific data on LOTE contract teachers and we would like to pursue this matter further by conducting our own survey of members.
In preparation for this survey, would you please gather the following information:
+ Total staff numbers at your school
+ Total number of Contract teachers
+ Total number of LOTE staff
+ Total number of LOTE Contract teachers
In order for us to put a strong case to the Minister we need the above staffing information expressed both in the number of individuals and in Equivalent Full-Time - your school should be able to supply these statistics.
The MLTAV is very grateful for your cooperation in this matter. You will be contribution to Languages advocacy, in particular to improve the working conditions for LOTE teachers in Victoria. We will be collating the results of this survey to present to Mr Fraser. This is part of the ongoing Advocacy work carried out by the MLTAV to ensure that quality Languages programs are provided to all school students in Victoria.
Please enter the survey by following this LINK
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