Young Tasmanian students are finally getting the extra help they need with the Liberal Government delivering in full on its commitment to employ 25 literacy and numeracy teachers.
All the new specialist teachers, including Anne Wilson, who I had the pleasure of visiting at Cosgrove High School today, are now in our schools, working with our students.
They are focussed on helping those young Tasmanians who are at risk of finishing their education without basic literacy and numeracy skills, which we know can make independent living a daily challenge and finding employment almost impossible.
We need to do the best we can to ensure that all of our young people have the literacy and numeracy skills they need to have the best possible chance in life.
That is why the Liberal Government has acted to not only address Tasmania's unacceptable NAPLAN results, but also to give those students who are struggling the help they need now.
For the remainder of this school year, our specialist teachers will work with Years 6 and 8 students assessed as being most in need of extra support, and will continue to help those same students next year as they move into Years 7 and 9 respectively.
We know from NAPLAN results that it is in these years, Years 7 and 9, where Tasmanian students are most behind their interstate counterparts, and so this is where our literacy and numeracy teachers will focus their efforts.
The Government thanks each and every one of these 25 dedicated teachers for taking on the challenge of a new role, and we are confident that the work will be as rewarding for them as it will be for the young Tasmanians they help.
More Media Releases from Jeremy Rockliff
More Media Releases from the Minister for Education and Training