TEACHERS Federation members at Bowraville Central School have walked off the job over the impact the state-wide shortage of teachers is having on their school.

NSW Teachers Federation Deputy President Henry Rajendra said staff walked out because the Education Department had failed to adequately address the staffing crisis and left Bowraville Central School with difficulty accessing casual teachers.

“The crisis in staffing has meant that classes have been collapsed, the library is closed when the teacher librarian is absent, senior classes are placed under minimum supervision when their teacher is on leave and programs are disrupted because casuals are not available,” Mr Rajendra said.

“The NSW Education Department has failed to provide additional teachers to cover for teachers who are on leave.”

Mr Rajendra said the Gallop Inquiry into the work of teachers found earlier this year that uncompetitive salaries for teachers and unsustainable workloads are leading to teacher shortages.

“The workloads of teachers have increased every year, but their salaries have fallen every year compared to other professions.

“You can’t fix the shortages without fixing the wages and workload problem.”

“If we don’t pay teachers what they are worth, we won’t get the teachers we need.”