The role and governance of Catholic systems and schools in securing the teacher workforce of the future was discussed in a panel session at Catholic Schools NSW Education Law Symposium held in Sydney last week.
National Catholic Education Commission executive director Jacinta Collins moderated the panel discussion comprising Professor Elizabeth Labone, deputy vice-chancellor, Learning and Teaching, University of Notre Dame Australia; Professor Mary Ryan, executive dean of Education and Arts at Australian Catholic University, and Professor Penny Van Bergen, Professor of Educational Psychology, Head of School at the University of Wollongong’s School of Education.
The panel discussed some of the critical challenges currently impacting the teacher workforce, which was also the focus of the Education Minister’s Meeting in Canberra last week.
Jacinta said Australian education ministers were prioritising some of the critical issues in the teacher workforce area, noting that the Catholic education sector had been heavily involved particularly at the national level, in contributing to the Australian Government’s National Teacher Workforce Action Plan.
“We value the federal government’s recognition of the importance of the non-government school sectors in driving reform and improved educational outcomes,” Jacinta said.
Lawyer and academic, Fr Frank Brennan SJ was among the guest speakers at the symposium, and moderated a panel discussion on religious freedom.
In his opening remarks, Fr Bennnan said Catholic education was the major provider of education outside of government, with enrolments growing from 766,000 students in 2017, to a record number of 794,000 in 2022.
“Catholic education remains very attractive for many parents seeking the best for their children, it is a good news story, not just for those who avail themselves of it, but also society at large,” he said.
“It’s incumbent on us to prove the benefits of the Catholic education system and to maintain our schools as being fit for purpose in our 21st century world.”
Fr Brennan said increasingly, those opposed to private or religious education institutions of any sort, were insisting that there be strict limits placed on non-state schools to ensure compliance with state requirements which impacted on the ethos of private or religious institutions.
Other presenters and speakers at the symposium included Catholic Schools NSW chief executive officer Dallas McInerney, NSW Education Standards Authority chief executive officer Paul Martin, Catholic Education Diocese of Bathurst executive director of schools Christina Trimble, and Catholic Schools NSW head of analytics central, Geoff Miller.
National Catholic Education Commission executive director Jacinta Collins (far right) moderating the panel discussion with Professor Elizabeth Labone, deputy vice-chancellor, Learning and Teaching, University of Notre Dame Australia; Professor Mary Ryan, executive dean of Education and Arts at Australian Catholic University, and Professor Penny Van Bergen, Professor of Educational Psychology, Head of School at the University of Wollongong’s School of Education.