DECISIONS OF COUNCIL 3 AUGUST 2013

Transcription

1 DECISIONS OF COUNCIL 3 AUGUST 2013 The minutes of 1 June 2012 Council were CONFIRMED. 1. SUPPORT FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES The NSW Teachers Federation condemns the recent policy decision of the Federal Government which will see all asylum seekers arriving by boat detained in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and any asylum claims processed in PNG. Those that are granted refugee status will be resettled in PNG. Clearly, this is a dramatic worsening of Australia s position on refugees. It follows many months of the leader of the Opposition deliberately using fear and xenophobia to divide the community. The Federation believes that the policy clearly contravenes Australia s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the UN Refugee Convention. Australia s recent history on asylum seekers is a sorry one: Following the 2001 Tampa crisis, the Howard Government initiated the Pacific Solution to enable Australia to avoid its international obligations by processing refugees and asylum seekers offshore. The defeat of the Howard Government in 2007 was welcomed as an opportunity to redress the damage done to Australia s international reputation by developing a more humane and acceptable refugee policy. However, by May 2011, the number of children in detention rose under the Gillard Government and a proposed Malaysian Solution was developed. In 2012, there was a return to offshore processing on the UN condemned Manus Island and Nauru facilities. In May 2013, the Australian mainland was excised as a migration zone. The Federation is particularly concerned with the ongoing damage these policies are having on the health and well-being of the children of asylum seekers as well as unaccompanied minors. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires states to act in the best interests of the child. The Federation believes that Australia is not honouring the terms of the Convention. The Federation calls on both major political parties to develop refugee policies that would allow Australia to honour its moral and legal obligations to ensure that asylum seekers, their families and particularly children are treated humanely. The Federation endorses the AEU letter of July 29, 2013 to the Prime Minister. Further, the Federation will approach Unions NSW to develop a joint union position in opposition to current Government policy. The Federation will contact the Federal Office of the AEU requesting it seek similar support from the ACTU. Federation will encourage members to get involved in grassroots refuge rights groups.

2 Decisions of Council 2 3 August 2013 Federation will continue to work in alliance with community groups to publicise the issue in the leadup to the Federal election. To this end, Federation will publicise refugee rallies in the lead up to the federal election and beyond and will seek to organize contingents from associations and schools. Federation will also help facilitate the invitation of refugee activist and/or refugees to speak at association or workplace meetings. 2

3 Decisions of Council 3 3 August ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS: a. Returning Officer s Report on Federation Elections to be conducted at 3 August 2013 Council Report received and adopted Notice of Elections conducted at 1 June 2012 Council Report received and adopted Returning Officer s Report for Federation Elections to be conducted at 7 September 2013 Council Report received and adopted b. Council Dates for 2014 Report received and adopted c. Council vacancies Reports received and adopted. d. NSWTF/AEU Rule Amalgamations Report received and adopted. e. Presidential Officers Election Outcome Report received and adopted. 3

4 Decisions of Council 4 3 August SCHOOLS FUNDING CAMPAIGN IN THE 2013 FEDERAL ELECTION Consistent with the 2013 Annual Conference decision on taking action to ensure that the next federal government honours the NSW Gonski schools funding agreement, Federation will continue state-wide campaigning to achieve this objective. As well as campaigning in electorates across the state, there will be an intensive focus on the more socio-economically disadvantaged electorates that have a higher proportion of students who will benefit from the needs-based funding loadings of the Gonski model. This will include greater western Sydney and rural areas. Federation will continue to pressure federal Liberal and National candidates to support the full Gonski, as their state counterparts have done in signing the NSW agreement. This action will highlight the inconsistent policy positions of the Federal Opposition. In recent weeks, Education Spokesperson Christopher Pyne has said the federal Coalition would abolish Gonski unless a majority of states signed up, then later Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said they would not honour Gonski agreements unless every state signed up. The latest shift represents a political device to marginalize the school funding reforms in the context of a federal election. It will lead to a massive cut to funding in all states and territories across Australia. Given the crucial importance of the Gonski reforms to the provision of a quality public education system, Federation will utilise all available resources in the lead-in to the federal election to secure the Gonski funding model for current and future generations of public school students. In addition, Federation rejects the ideology of the privatization of public education, which is the real agenda of the federal Opposition. The Gonski funding model must not be tied to the ideology which is being advocated by the Opposition. 4

5 Decisions of Council 5 3 August ONGOING CURRICULUM SUPPORT FOR NEW SYLLABUSES FROM 2014 That the NSW Teachers Federation calls on the DEC to guarantee ongoing curriculum support and professional development for the implementation of any new NSW syllabus which may be implemented from Federation will continue to require that any new syllabus must be developed with extensive consultation with teachers and an appropriate timeline for implementation which includes time for planning and preparation as well as the provision of appropriate resources to ensure effective implementation. This support and professional development is to include additional DEC funded release for all teachers, DEC subject specific curriculum specialists and other DEC support, not high cost private consultants. Federation will pursue with the Department the provision of hard copies of new curriculum documents/syllabuses for all teachers in NSW public schools. 5

6 Decisions of Council 6 3 August STAFFING OF K-6 SCHOOLS BASED ON SEPARATE K-2 AND 3-6 NUMBERS That Federation pursues seriously the staffing of K-6 schools based on separate K-2 and 3-6 numbers as the current K-6 staffing system is unfair and inequitable based on the department s own class size limits. 6

7 Decisions of Council 7 3 August BEST START ASSESSMENTS The Federation is to seek a briefing from the DEC about the Best Start program to monitor the progress of the program s implementation and the use of the Literacy and Numeracy Continuums. The Federation calls on the DEC to fund support for such targeted programs to enhance teacher professional learning, appropriate release time for assessment of students and the development of teaching and learning programs. Any implementation of Best Start and other programs requires teacher professional judgement about the most appropriate implementation which will take into account teacher workload. 7

8 Decisions of Council 8 3 August TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS - BYOD Federation rejects the proposed DEC policy of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) as a means of delivering technology to our schools. The Federation recognises the need to engage with 21 st Century learning. The end of the Digital Education Revolution program requires both Federal and State governments to cooperate on the funding and equitable distribution of resources designed to provide a platform for the delivery of technology to all classrooms throughout NSW. The integration of technology into teaching and learning has been mandated in all syllabuses and it is incumbent on the DEC to facilitate best pedagogical practice in our schools. Among the matters of concern are: The cost to families of providing a device especially for those who struggle to have even one computer with internet access, let alone providing a device for each school student in the family. The impact on the learning of student s with special needs. The question of classroom management where the compatibility of BYOD devices to school networks, control of pornography and other inappropriate downloads, security, virus protection, maintenance and theft impacts on effective teaching and learning; The issue of a variety of hardware configurations and software applications impeding the ability of the teacher to deliver quality teaching programs, whilst trying to resolve technical problems. Federation will advise all principals and schools not to implement fundraising and/or sponsorship activities, as suggested by the BYOD support website, in order to address the issue of equity. The potential for this policy to be later expanded to require teachers to bring their own device. In an online survey conducted recently by the Federation, the majority of the over 200 principal and teacher respondents were positive about the DER laptop program, were concerned at the prospective loss of the Technical Support Officer (TSO) position and the impact on equity of the BYOD policy. The DEC must provide a Technical Support Officer (TSO) with expertise in ICT as a standard staffing entitlement in all schools. We call upon the DEC to negotiate a formula for the allocation of TSO positions in and between schools, depending on schools student numbers. Teachers must not be burdened with tasks related to technology breakdowns and shortcomings. Teachers work is to teach; not to deal with technology problems. The position of TSO must be classified as essential staffing provided for by system-wide funding. The DEC must negotiate with the Federation on all technology related changes to administration requirements in schools. Teachers and SASS must be properly trained in all tasks related to LMBR before this system is introduced across the state. The DEC must ensure training is provided in school hours and workloads are not increased. The DEC must ensure all staff and schools are 8

9 Decisions of Council 9 3 August 2013 provided with the necessary hardware and infrastructure to facilitate the administration requirements of their work. Importantly, appropriate support for the maintenance of systems must be put in place. The retention and proper provision of TSOs, and the extension of their roles into non-student related work, is patently necessary given the inevitable problems with technology that will occur. Action 1. Federation will meet with the Primary Principals Association, the Secondary Principals Council and the P&C Federation to seek their input and support for an equitable and system-wide provision of hardware and software designed to ensure the delivery of quality educational programs. 2. Federation will place the provision of appropriately qualified TSOs in all schools and the specific requirements of their work as a high campaign priority 3. Federation will undertake appropriate publicity to emphasise the importance of getting technology policies right and to force the DEC into negotiations on the issue. 4. Federation will consult teachers and schools with a view to gaining information on school technology needs. 5. Federation Executive will consider a course of action in the event of the DEC failing to negotiate in a meaningful way on technology issues. 6. Federation will advise all principals and schools not to implement fundraising and/or sponsorship activities, as suggested by the BYOD support website, in order to address the issue of equity. 9