The Member for Mildura and the Shadow Minister for Education have today called on the Education Minister and his Department to urgently prioritise the appointment of a permanent principal at Robinvale College.
Jade Benham MP, the Member for Mildura, said that the decision to remove the current acting principal of Robinvale College at short notice was a shock to the community.
“It’s clear that the Allan Government and the Department of Education are not interested in listening to the community on key appointments such as the principal of Robinvale College.”
“Many members of the school community have expressed their deep disappointment that the current acting principal has not been allowed to continue in that role on an ongoing basis,” Ms Benham said.
“Robinvale College is now left leaderless while students, teachers and families grapple with uncertainty and unease as they await the return of school in a couple of weeks.”
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood and Education, Jess Wilson MP, said the situation at Robinvale College highlighted the teacher crisis in rural and regional Victoria.
“Under the Allan Labor Government, rural and regional schools and communities are battling every day to ensure they have enough teachers just to keep classrooms open.”
“The teacher crisis in regional and rural areas has been years in the making and is compromising Victorian students receiving the high-quality education that they deserve,” Ms Wilson said.
“Jacinta Allan has no comprehensive plan to address the growing shortfall of classroom teachers, support staff and leadership positions in the education system.”
TEACHER CRISIS DATA
– As of 28 March 2024, there are currently more than 1,400 teacher vacancies across the state.
– The worst hit areas are in regional and rural Victoria.
– In some regional and rural areas, schools are receiving fewer than one application for every teacher job they advertise.
