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The sMAG (School Music Action
Group, Victoria) welcomes the recent release of The Report after the Review
of the Victorian Institute of Teaching. We welcome the government’s
response, and look forward to significant improvements and innovations into the
near future. A comprehensive approach to resolve
perhaps some of the VITs most profoundly challenging, and sometimes controversial dilemmas
will be welcomed into the future.
Relevant Pubic Documents:
1.
Victorian
Government Media Release https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/strengthening-child-safety-to-protect-our-students/
2.
Review,
Report and Government Response: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/vit.aspx
While our interest group is Music education specific, the 32
government-supported, broad and overarching recommendations, if implemented,
will benefit all education delivery throughout Victoria. We are pleased that the review identified the importance
of the VIT moving beyond a narrow focus on compliance to broaden the auspices,
including working with the profession to educate
teachers and the community about 'quality' in teaching.
The inclusion of Instrumental teachers in VIT regulation
processes will support Recommendations 1 – 8, which are intent on the safety
and care of students. The VIT has, in
recent policy, chosen to distinguish between ‘Classroom’ and ‘Instrumental’
teachers with the explicit intention of excluding Instrumental teachers from
VIT regulation. It is sMAG’s strong belief that this has added to lower
professional standards and a lower expectation of appropriate qualifications. Only
teachers recognised as “Classroom” have come under the VIT regulatory
auspices. Subsequently, instrumentalists
have been employed en masse as Education Support Staff and have been delivering
educational programs unsupervised, have been teaching in groups and large
ensembles, have been contributing to curriculum development and writing
reports. All clearly the duties of a teacher. Significant risk can be
alleviated with tertiary trained instrumental teachers ALWAYS being required to
be VIT registered or have VIT Permission to Teach, meeting all the necessary requirements,
and then employed with the status “Classroom” professionals.
We welcome the inclusivity
within the government’s media statement:
·
Explicitly stating in
the VIT’s governing legislation that the safety and wellbeing of children and
young people must be considered when performing its regulatory functions
·
Reforming the VIT
disciplinary system that deals with allegations of teacher misconduct or
incompetence. This will include compulsory training for all disciplinary board
members to ensure their roles and responsibilities
·
Improving its
registration processes including migrating to online registration and renewal
processes
·
Expanding its
activities to include proactively educating teachers and the community about
teacher quality
·
Better information
sharing and greater alignment between teacher registrations and the Working
with Children Check.
With all such requirements
also applying to the instrumental community through the VIT PTT policy or VIT
teacher registration processes, the standards can be met, and be inclusive of
all specialist instrumental teachers. It
is essential that any teacher delivering against the Victorian Curriculum while
alone in an instrumental room be VIT registered. Despite the 2017 VIT Permission to Teach Policy
going some way to eradicate the practice outlined, 60% of all advertised
instrumental positions on Recruitment online remain as Education Support Staff
status. It behoves all school employers to
preferentially advertise and employ the instrumental teacher with the
appropriate “Classroom” status.
sMAG welcomes:
· Recommendations 9 – 15, and
government responses. Any improvement in
VIT internal processes, policies and procedures to align with VRQA frameworks,
and contemporary workplace expectations is overdue.
·
Recommendations
19 and 22, where collaborations with ITE providers with a view to improving
regulatory compliance is set to be a key feature.
· Recommendations to improve the
leadership, culture, strategy, staff morale and relationships throughout the
VIT with a view to improving outcomes.
Significant structural reform, complying with contemporary expectations
will lift esteem throughout the teaching profession.
sMAG
particularly welcomes recommendations to improve stakeholder engagement.
We commend the Victorian
Government for instigating this independent review. We welcome the recommendations and look
forward to a speedy implementation. The profound and complex challenge of regulating
workforce capability, i.e., regulation of classroom teachers and specialist instrumental
teachers, when improved, will substantially improve teacher efficacy throughout
the State.
STATEMENT FROM PROF. GARY MCPHERSON
“Instrumental music education within Victorian public schools is now, sadly, well behind other Australian states.
Nowhere in Australia is instrumental music treated so poorly within the system, and music teachers provided with so little support and recognition for the valued work they undertake in our schools. I’m alarmed that highly qualified musicians and music teachers are currently devalued to a point where the system is willing to push the classification of Education Support Staff - with a pay cut - at the expense of VIT registered teachers who have equal status with other teachers within schools. Not only is this short-sighted, but it will impact on the education of a whole generation of students who are interested in music as a school subject.
Unless addressed, the current situation will reach a point whereby music education within Victorian public schools will in no way compare with what students in independent schools are able to experience, and students in other state public systems are offered to enhance their overall education. While the recommendations from the VIT review and report are encouraging, unless the salary and status of instrumental music teachers in government schools is immediately addressed, we stand to continue to lose good professionals to the independent schools system.
The situation must be addressed soon so that Victoria is no longer regarded in music education as the sad cousin of all other Australian states.”
Professor Gary McPherson
Ormond Chair of Music and Director
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
The University of Melbourne
