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Speaker 1: Well, I know there's plenty of parents around the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory feeling pretty relieved today that the school holidays are

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Speaker 1: just about upon us, the last day of the school

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Speaker 1: year for many Northern Territory students. And joining me on

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Speaker 1: the line to talk about this is the Minister for Education,

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Speaker 1: Lauren Moss.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, good morning, and good morning to your listeners.

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Speaker 1: Minister. Obviously, the final day of the school year today

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Speaker 1: for our urban schools, but I believe our bush schools

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Speaker 1: are our remote schools, they've got one more day.

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Speaker 2: They do, yes they do. But I'm out here at

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Speaker 2: Woodrof Primary School They've just had their last assembly of

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Speaker 2: the year and people are feeling pretty good. I think.

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Speaker 1: Oh I am yeah, I'm glad. I wanted to make

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Speaker 1: school lunches for a few weeks at least.

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Speaker 2: There you go, you get a break, Minister.

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Speaker 1: How many students are finishing school obviously today and tomorrow,

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Speaker 1: or how many students are there in the territory.

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Speaker 2: Oh, look, we've got over forty thousand students in our

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Speaker 2: public schools across the territory who will be looking forward

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Speaker 2: very much to the school holidays. We obviously had sixteen

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Speaker 2: hundred and ten NTCT completions who were celebrating yesterday, which

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Speaker 2: is a great achievement and up on last year. So

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Speaker 2: I think overall, our students in our schools have just

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Speaker 2: had a phenomenal year despite all the challenges, and I

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Speaker 2: think people are looking forward to really well deserved to

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Speaker 2: break and you know, the weather's beautiful, so.

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Speaker 1: Oh exactly, and like you touched on, it has been

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Speaker 1: a really difficult year. I know, comparatively to other parts

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Speaker 1: of the world and even other parts of Australia, we've

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Speaker 1: had a much better year than most, but it's still

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Speaker 1: been quite disruptive for our school students and our teaching staff, hasn't.

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Speaker 2: It It has. I think, you know, we always talk

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Speaker 2: about how fortunate we are in the territory and that's

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Speaker 2: no different when it comes to schools as well. We

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Speaker 2: obviously didn't have quite the level of disruption that some

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Speaker 2: other jurisdictions did, but I think, you know, there was

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Speaker 2: still an enormous amount of anxiety for people, you know,

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Speaker 2: particularly in those early months and obviously for those who

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Speaker 2: live in remote communities, so the biosecurity zones, all of that,

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Speaker 2: like it feels like a long time ago, but you know,

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Speaker 2: this is all part of this school year, and teachers

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Speaker 2: were ready to take materials online. You know, a lot

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Speaker 2: of extra work has gone into this year, and I think,

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Speaker 2: you know, the achievement is even more important because of

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Speaker 2: all that extra work that's gone in from just about everybody.

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Speaker 1: And when you talk about attendance, I mean, did we

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Speaker 1: see much of a change in attendance? Have we had

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Speaker 1: a good year on this front despite COVID.

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Speaker 2: We've had a comparable year to last year, despite COVID,

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Speaker 2: which I think is a huge achievement. There's obviously a

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Speaker 2: number of areas where there's lots of work to do,

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Speaker 2: but the fact that we had a comparable year despite

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Speaker 2: all those challenges is fantastic. There's a number of strategies

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Speaker 2: right across the Northern Territory, particularly around where they felt

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Speaker 2: that some families might be disengaging because of what was

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Speaker 2: happening around COVID nineteen. There's been a stack of work done.

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Speaker 2: I think that's that shows in the results across this

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Speaker 2: year and hopefully, you know, twenty twenty one, hopefully less disruptions,

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Speaker 2: that we can keep some of those initiatives up and

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Speaker 2: keep kids engaged in our classrooms. It's really important.

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Speaker 1: Now. We've obviously got quite a few teachers who are

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Speaker 1: retiring as well, some of our wonderful, really long term teachers.

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Speaker 2: We do, we do. I was at a principal farewell

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Speaker 2: this year, Ernie Bree at stut Parks, So you know,

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Speaker 2: we've got some principles and teachers leaving after thirty five

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Speaker 2: forty years in the public service in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: So you know, we're sad to see those people go

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Speaker 2: when but you know, also happy to see some other

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Speaker 2: great leaders coming through our school system, but big shoes

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Speaker 2: to fill that for sure.

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Speaker 1: One hundred percent. Have we got many many teachers moving

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Speaker 1: into state as well? Or how are we looking for

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Speaker 1: next year?

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Speaker 2: There's only a few again obviously with COVID nineteen and

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Speaker 2: many people having family interstate, I think that's been a

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Speaker 2: factor for some people this year. But recruitments underway, particularly

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Speaker 2: around Principles, and you know, we're looking good, and obviously

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Speaker 2: there's a whole team there in the Department of Education

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Speaker 2: making sure that there are teachers in front of every

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Speaker 2: classroom in Turn one twenty twenty one. But look looking good.

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Speaker 2: I think there's a lot of people who want to

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Speaker 2: be here. They want to be in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: You know, again, we are a great place to be

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Speaker 2: and I think this year has proven that, and I

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Speaker 2: think we'll have a very good year next year, hopefully

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Speaker 2: with less challenges like with sell this year. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, And Minister, when are you hoping that you have

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Speaker 1: most of those teaching positions filled. I know we are

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Speaker 1: on the last day of twenty twenty, so we've got

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Speaker 1: a little while ago. But how early do you hope

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Speaker 1: that you've got every position filled?

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Speaker 2: Oh? Look, I would expect that. I mean, obviously the

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Speaker 2: department works on these sorts of things every year, but

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Speaker 2: I would expect they'd have most of that bettered down

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Speaker 2: by the end of this year. You know what's happening

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Speaker 2: going into term one at twenty twenty one. But obviously

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Speaker 2: there's around some of those principal positions, those recruitments have

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Speaker 2: already been made and the schools know what's happening next year.

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Speaker 2: So look, most of that's either completed or underway, and

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Speaker 2: we're looking pretty good for next year. But look, I mean,

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Speaker 2: if you see a teacher today and you're at a

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Speaker 2: school picking your kit up on the last day of school,

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Speaker 2: please just make sure you take time to say thank you.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely many other people very tired, you're looking very energized

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Speaker 2: still and have big smiles on their faces.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely well, Minister for Education Lauren Mosson. Sounds like you've

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Speaker 1: got a plover out there attacking you or trying to

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Speaker 1: get you.

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Speaker 2: There's others everywhere, and they've got those cute little babies

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Speaker 2: that you don't see until the last minute.

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Speaker 1: You know, good luck, good luck, stay away from the oval.

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Speaker 2: Thank you.

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Speaker 1: That is the Minister for Education there, Lauren Mowson. You

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Speaker 1: can hear those plovers in the background. They're everywhere at

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Speaker 1: the moment.