On Friday, the nation’s Education Ministers met in person and online at Kelmscott Senior High School in Perth, where they discussed their responses to the major issues facing Australia’s schools in 2024.
Among the topics discussed were a school funding, child safety, teacher workloads and wellbeing, and managing disruptive classroom behaviour. Other items on the agenda were vaping, mobile phones, initial teacher education reform, and the Universities Accord.
For the first time, occupational principal health, safety and wellbeing was put on the agenda after Education Minister Jason Clare committed to urgent action off the back of alarming new research.
The latest Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey shows more than half of the nation’s school leaders are considering quitting or retiring early due to stress, and increasingly unsustainable workloads.
On Friday, Ministers received a presentation from the Presidents of the Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA) and the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) on the issues that school leaders continue to face in 2024.
“Ministers expressed their continued support for principals and school leaders and acknowledged the work already underway across jurisdictions to support their wellbeing,” Minister Clare wrote in a communique that followed the Education Ministers Meeting on Friday.
“Ministers asked officials to work with stakeholders and provide advice on further actions that could support principals and school leaders. Ministers will continue discussions on principal and school leader wellbeing at the next meeting of EMM.”
Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA) President Andy Mison said the Association is pleased that the importance of retaining and sustaining principals and school leaders “is now firmly on the national agenda.”
“EMM has responded to the requests from ASPA and APPA for education officials to work with the national peak bodies to provide advice on further actions that can support principals and school leaders,” Mison said.
“With this renewed collaborative focus from Education Ministers, we look forward to developing and implementing practical measures to assist and enable our principals and school leaders to thrive in the job they love on behalf of school communities across the country.”