The Minister for education & Training's media release on TAFE/DET cuts

Education Dept re-focus - 300 teachers back to classrooms

This includes a reduction in the bureaucracy such as its head office and corporate services by about 1,000, and returning up to 300 teachers to the State's classrooms.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Training, Dr Andrew Refshauge said: "This is about getting people out of the bureaucracy and teachers back into the classroom."

"Our frontline teachers need and deserve better support from the department - these changes will ensure the focus is back on helping our teachers in schools and TAFEs," he said.

The reshape - which will go out for public comment over the next five weeks - includes a proposal to set up eight new education and training regions across the State - creating less bureaucracy and more access to learning.

Under the plan no district offices will be closed. Duplication of services will be reduced and the number of senior staff will be increased in regional areas.

Key features of the draft proposal include:

• Returning up to 300 teachers to classrooms;
• Appointing 64 new Chief Educational Officers (CEOs) to support teachers and schools - bringing the total to 104;
• Reducing the corporate bureaucracy by 600 positions through the merger of TAFE and schools corporate services;
• Reducing Head Office policy positions by more than 130;
• Reducing up to 100 positions in coordination support and communications and marketing;
• Setting up eight new regions across the State - incorporating ten of the eleven TAFE institutes;
• Establishment of a TAFE Commissioner to strengthen the advocacy of the world-class NSW TAFE network.
• A new on-line teaching and learning system that allows all teachers to access state-of-the-art teaching advice and methodology across the internet;
• Streamlining of the three educational boards - the Board of Vocational Education and Training, the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board and the Board of Adult and Community Education; and
• The current organisations that support the outstanding NSW school sport and performing arts programs will be retained.

Dr Refshauge said of the 300 teachers to be returned to classrooms more than 150 are district consultants - the other half are working in other positions throughout the department.

"I want the department to listen to the needs of school communities and focus on its core responsibility - the delivery of the highest possible standard of public education," he said.

Dr Refshauge said the proposal - which would now go out for consultation with staff and key stake

Proposed regions:

• Northern NSW based at Tamworth
• Western NSW based at Orange
• Hunter based at Newcastle
• Illawarra and Southern NSW at Wollongong
• Sydney based at Ultimo
• South Western Sydney based at Miller
• Western Sydney based at Penrith
• Northern Sydney and Central Coast at Gore Hill

The eight new regions, broadly aligned with other key State Government service providers, would have a primary focus on supporting teachers in the delivery and development of locally based education programs.

The campuses of the Southern Sydney Institute of TAFE would be incorporated into the Sydney or South Western Sydney institutes.

Dr Refshauge said educational support centres or new regional offices would be established in all current 40 school districts. These centres will be staffed with a range of consultants and senior CEOs to provide a higher level of support for nearby schools.

"This would mean that all schools would have access to more senior expertise to ensure that their programs and courses are of the highest standard possible and that the needs of the community are better met," he said.

"A new state-of-the-art on-line teaching and learning system would also allow teachers in schools and TAFEs to share their curriculum on-line and exchange valuable information on how to improve education.

"TAFE institutes and schools would continue delivering their services in precisely the same way that has made them so successful, but they would benefit from a greater sharing of expertise and resources," he said.

Dr Refshauge said it was also proposed that the course delivery arm of the department's distance education network - OTEN - become a faculty of the TAFE Western Sydney Institute.

"Our TAFE institutes and schools already deliver world-recognised standards of education, but I want them to get more support so their standards will be even higher," Dr Refshauge said.

* A copy of the consultation document is available on www.det.nsw.edu.au