Queensland Virtual Academy update
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 129 No 8, 1 November 2024, page no. 6
The Department of Education’s (DoE) Equity and Excellence vision, launched last year, states as an action in the system initiatives: “establish a virtual academy to enhance access across the state to teaching expertise.”
In 2023, the QTU outlined its expectations of the DoE, insisting on clarity around:
- basic guidelines for the delivery of virtual learning across all workplaces
- clear workplace health and safety practices for the digital age
- service obligations as per the Education (General Provisions) Act
- ensuring that workload, industrial entitlements, and legal requirements are adhered to
- ensuring that existing distance education facilities are not diminished through the creation of a virtual academy.
Consultation has been ongoing between the QTU and the DoE in relation to the Queensland Virtual Academy (QVA). Progress has been made through problem-solving a number of questions and challenges arising from pilot schools and, of course, discussions surrounding the implications for our members’ industrial conditions and workload, IT infrastructure, student/teacher ratios, health and safety, training and professional development, and appropriate resourcing.
As a result of the continued dialogue between the DoE and the QTU, we are now in a position to move towards the development of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for teachers working for the QVA, like those that exist for the Queensland academies, outdoor education centres, and other discrete groups. This MOA will clearly set out working conditions where they differ from those set out in the current award and certified agreement, for example, with regard to non-contact time and class sizes.
In addition to the MOA, the QTU and the DoE have been developing a set of guidelines for schools to assist in creating partnerships between schools, as well as partnership agreements which will articulate the roles and responsibilities of all involved.
A statewide recruitment process has also concluded, and the founding principal of the QVA has been announced and has begun in the role.
While the QVA will assist both schools and students where the teacher shortage crisis is impacting on access to and delivery of some subject areas, and will enable some teachers to teach more of their subject area with a more flexible approach, this is not the silver bullet for the teacher shortage crisis.
The QTU will continue to explore any initiative that can immediately relieve workload pressure resulting from the teacher shortage, however permanent solutions addressing attraction and retention remain our core focus.