With the final weeks of the 2016 school year upon us, it is traditional for this column to reflect on the year that has been and look forward to the year to come.

Of all the hundreds of people we encounter as we proceed through life, few have as great an impact on us as our teachers.

In the wake of the improved enterprise bargaining offer and ballots, we should not lose sight of the array of positive initiatives for schools, teachers and principals delivered by the Palaszczuk government in its first 18 months in office.

In the aftermath of a federal election in which much was made of economic management and pandering to the “big end of town”, one massive issue was largely ignored: the future of TAFE.

The battle lines for the 2016 federal election had been drawn long before the Prime Minister called the election for 2 July, and education is a headline issue.

The imperative to maximise the benefits of education over a lifetime by ensuring quality early childhood education has again come into sharp focus with the advent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

We can gain important perspectives from reflecting on the challenges facing students and teachers in other parts of the world.