From the President: What a difference a little understanding makes

Like so many election commitments, the ALP announcement of a new policy on education in the 2015 election period was met with scepticism. More than two years later, the Palaszczuk government, and Education Minister Kate Jones, have delivered on the spirit and intent of the promise of letting teachers teach.

In what has become a tradition in recent years, QTU State Conference heard from the Education Minister of the day. Minister Kate Jones demonstrated in her presentation that the Palaszczuk government operates on a core principle of respect for teachers and principals and a belief that working with our Union as a truly representative voice, delivers better outcomes for education.

Much of the Minister’s speech dwelt on the significant practical work done by the state government on restoring staffing and funding to education, building new schools and maintaining existing schools, reforming education policy, rejuvenating the working conditions of teachers and principals and modernising the curriculum. This work stands in sharp contrast with the previous LNP government, which presided over reductions in per-student funding in primary, secondary and special education, denied schools access to teachers needed for growth in student enrolments, and subjected Queensland education to divisive, ideologically-driven policies derived from failed international experiments.

As important and welcome as the work of the current state government has been, there was something more that came through in the Minister’s speech. More than the words, it was the way she said them.

Teacher unions around the world face a major hurdle in negotiating outcomes for their members: the employer that they must negotiate with is also the government. QTU experiences under both the Newman and Palaszczuk governments demonstrate that those currently in power operate, as do we, within a framework of a shared, genuine concern for the wellbeing of students and government employees. Respect for teachers and principals and the union which represents more than 44,000 members of our profession is deeply felt and guides both words and actions. When parties to a negotiation begin with a shared purpose, to make a real difference in the lives of the young people who rely on our state education system for the best possible chance in life, our energy can be directed to shaping real change rather than simply arguing our case.

Our current Minister had a simple message for the QTU’s supreme democratic structure. Our community has absolute faith that state schools deliver great education, she told the delegates, and that is because of the leadership provided by our teachers and school leaders. She ended her presentation not with a self-congratulatory message, but with a story of her recent experience in a school. The Minister recounted a visit to regional Queensland, where a beautiful young girl “danced her heart out” for her. When she asked the principal, she learned that this particular student came from an extremely troubled family, but that school was her “safe place” and “the place for her to thrive”. “You do that”, she told the delegates, “thank you”.

We all know that education is about continuous improvement. We must not pretend that there is some definable end point that can be achieved in some definite way. Each year a new group of students begins its journey through schooling, and our challenges as teachers and principals begin again. What a difference it makes to work with any government that understands the real nature of our work and acts to support us in what we do.

Kevin Bates                                                                                                                   President

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 122 No 5, 21 July 2017, p7