It's no wonder that Nick McKim was sacked as Education Minister, given his latest bizarre rant that employing up to 25 new literacy and numeracy specialists is somehow bad.
After 16 years of Labor and Labor-Green Governments, too many Tasmanian students are failing to achieve at the national benchmark on literacy and numeracy testing. In fact, in every one of the measurements in recent NAPLAN testing, fewer Tasmanian students reached the minimum standard than the national average.
Every day that we do not act is another day where those students who need the most help are in danger of leaving school without basic numeracy and literacy skills.
These specialist teachers will provide one-to-one and small group special assistance for students who are consistently falling behind on literacy and numeracy.
Where teachers leave existing positions to take up these new jobs, principals will backfill their positions as they normally would.
This creates opportunities for promotion for other staff and for new teachers to enter our schools.
We make no apologies for taking urgent action to begin to address our literacy and numeracy outcomes.
More Media Releases from Jeremy Rockliff
More Media Releases from the Minister for Education and Training