Poor discipline in Australian schools among factors driving teachers away, OECD warns

The report cited Department of Education statistics that Australia faces a projected deficit of 4,100 high school teachers by 2025.

A teacher in the younger years of high school earns about 99% of the average salary of other tertiary-educated workers, which was above the OECD average of 90%, while principals earned 185%, among the highest in the OECD.

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) index, which asks students how often noise and other disruptions occur in the classroom, and grades countries around an average of zero, Australian classrooms rate at -0.2 while the OECD average is slightly positive (0.04).

The 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey found 37% of Australian lower-secondary school principals reported that intimidation or bullying among students occurs at least weekly, the report said.

In 2019, 90.5% of 25 to 34-year-olds in Australia had at least upper secondary education, and 52% had a tertiary qualification, compared to OECD averages of 85% and 45%.

The report noted the share of young adults aged 18 to 24 who were not employed or in education or training increased during the pandemic, from 11% in 2019 to 16% in 2020, but returned to its pre-pandemic level in 2021.

After a Productivity Commission report on the national school reform agreement, the Albanese government vowed to introduce targets for improvement and tie funding to uptake of reforms.