Lismore TAFE teachers are “collapsing” under the workload of trying to teach a new, revised TAFE curriculum.

As the first teaching term of the 2020 TAFE year gets underway, TAFE teachers are complaining of being left to deliver new courses that have little to no resources provided for them to use.

One TAFE teacher, who requested not to be named, said her workload had tripled, and she was stressed as she struggled to create teaching materials she could use to deliver the subjects.

“Most teachers are casual workers, on temporary contracts and we are just getting the same hours of pay as before,” she said. “It’s the same for every teacher across the whole State.”

She said all courses taught by TAFE in Australia had been revised and rewritten last year, after being audited for consistency and standards.

“Education auditors found that TAFE needed to improve in order to achieve compliance with assessment and standards of competence – and this needed consistent across the whole country,” she said.

“Only a couple of courses were audited, not every subject, but a decision was made to re-do every assessment across all skill sectors - and it was done in a hurry, without collaboration or consultation across the board.

“In some units, the new assessments have many parts and this increased the amount of time needed for teachers to conduct and mark assessments – as well as increased time for students to do the assessments.

“Everybody is collapsing because they are over-assessing the students by giving too many assessments.

“The workload is unfeasible and unmanageable and we are not given any extra pay for the extra workload. 

“Staff are already taking stress leave because they can’t handle it.

 “One teacher who works teaching hospitality in Casino in a working kitchen said two teachers were needed in order to teach the unit, Bbut one teacher’s position was cut and now there’s inadequate staffing in the kitchen.

“We have given feedback to the higher ups, but nothing has changed.”

TAFE has already seen cuts to funding and services over the last few years. 

A new review of the TAFE system has been announced this week by the NSW Government, and has already received criticism amidst fears it could lead to a privatisation of the already struggling system, or to even more cuts to services.

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The Lismore App contacted TAFE NSW for comment about the new review, but TAFE NSW declined to comment.