Respect for teachers a must

Ken Silburn, the Australian teacher who was a Top 10 finalist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize in 2017, thinks we must urgently raise teacher respect across Australia to attract the best candidates into the profession and “help young minds navigate a world in total flux”.

Silburn made the comments as he encouraged Australian parents and pupils to put forward their most inspirational teacher for the 2018 Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize on the day that nominations and applications opened.

“Current world events baffle most adults but it is today’s children that will live with the after effects. It is this generation of children that will be tested to the limit to find the solutions to these problems.“

"If teachers aren’t respected, children won’t listen to them, parents won’t back them, and the most talented individuals will continue to disregard teaching as a fulfilling career option. 

"Over time, this will weaken teaching, damage learning opportunities for millions and ultimately weaken society as uninformed choices can give way to populism and extremism," said Silburn.

Ken Silburn, a science teacher at Casula High School, south-west Sydney, was inspired to become a science teacher by the example of the fine teachers who taught him in his youth.

Motivated by the desire to increase students’ educational prospects, particularly those from modest socioeconomic backgrounds, he has made a big difference. 

His ability to drive effective educational practices has been recognised with the New South Wales Engineering and Science award for Innovation in Mathematics and Science teaching, a National Educational Leadership award, a Microsoft Innovator award, and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Secondary Science Teaching in 2015.

Nominations are now open until 8 October 2017 for the US$1 million award, which is now in its fourth year and the largest prize of its kind in education.  

For further information or to make a nomination go to the Global Teacher Prize website.