Teachers get pay rise amid OBE fight

THE State Government has offered school teachers a pay rise of between nine and 13.5 per cent over two years amid growing dissention among teachers regarding a plan to further roll out its Outcomes Based Education program. The State School Teachers Union and Independent Education Union directed members to refuse the implementation of OBE into years 11 and 12 unless they were confident they could teach and assess it. In response, deputy premier Eric Ripper warned teachers last week that if upper-secondary school teachers were uncomfortable with teaching new OBE courses, they could be moved into lower years. The SSTU and IEU met to discuss the comments and said the government could never make good its threat, as there were insufficient qualified teachers to replace them and a mass walkout would likely ensue. Lobby group Concerned Parents Against Outcomes Education set up a website urging parents to express their opposition to the scheme, which they feel will dumb-down education.