New data suggests over 10,000 NSW teachers left the profession last year. 

Documents produced at a NSW budget estimates education hearing this week by Labor MLC Anthony D’Adam show 10,198 educators lost their accreditation in a single year. 

In 2020, 144,482 teachers were classed as “proficient” but that figure fell in 2021 to 140,747 - a net reduction of 3,735.

But the 2021 figures for “proficient” teachers included 6,463 who only just joined the system, having their status upgraded from “provisional”. Combined, this makes the net loss of accreditations more than 10,000.

Paul Martin, CEO of the NSW Education Standards Authority, said the stats show experienced teachers are leaving and being replaced by inexperienced teachers.

Public school teachers in NSW voted to strike last November, with the Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos claiming the state is being hit by “a large and growing shortage of teachers”.

“The teacher shortages are too large and their cause — uncompetitive salaries and unmanageable workloads — too great for teachers and principals not to proceed with this action,” he said last year. 

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell signed off on the documents, but questioned the numbers, noting that there are 3,700 teachers slated to start at schools as part of the government’s teacher supply strategy.

“That is in addition to what the government knows we are going to need,” Ms Mitchell said.

“We are working extremely hard in terms of our teacher supply strategy, and I don’t agree that we have a crisis,” Ms Mitchell said.