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🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

Remote WA town fears for school's future amid teacher housing crisis

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Parents in the remote Western Australian town of Munglinup are concerned about teacher retention due to a lack of suitable housing.
  • The town's primary school, vital for community viability, struggles to keep staff, with some children experiencing multiple teachers in a single school year.
  • Locals are urging the government to address the housing shortage to ensure the school's future and attract essential workers.

The small, isolated community of Munglinup, located 500 kilometers southeast of Perth, is facing a critical challenge in retaining teachers for its primary school. Parents fear the school's closure, which they believe would threaten the viability of the entire town.

One of the things that potential people who come and work for you are going to want to know is, is there a school and, is it good for my kids?

— Matt BellA local farmer and parent explaining the importance of the school for attracting new residents.

Munglinup Primary School, currently serving 12 students, relies on attracting and keeping qualified educators. However, a significant obstacle is the scarcity of adequate housing for school staff. Matt Bell, a local farmer and parent, explained that the town has only one Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) unit, typically reserved for the principal. This leaves other teachers without stable accommodation.

One child at the school, he has had … five different teachers in his three years at the school, and we're only halfway through year three.

— Matt BellDescribing the instability caused by teacher turnover due to housing issues.

"One child at the school, he has had … five different teachers in his three years at the school, and we're only halfway through year three," Bell said, highlighting the instability faced by students. Another parent noted their daughter had three different teachers in her first semester of kindergarten. The lack of housing forces the third teacher to commute 40 kilometers from Jerdacuttup along a busy highway, facing challenging driving conditions.

We have one GROH house in town, and that's generally designated to the principal, which leaves the teachers somewhat homeless.

— Matt BellExplaining the severe shortage of government-provided housing for school staff.

Jasmyn Allen, president of the Isolated Children's and Parents Association, confirmed this is a widespread issue across Western Australia. "We've heard from quite a few communities recently around the lack of housing and the GROH housing opportunities," she stated. The community is appealing for government intervention to provide more housing options, emphasizing the school's importance for attracting families and maintaining the town's future.

I know that the Education Department are very well aware of this, but what we really want as communities out in the bush

— Jasmyn AllenPresident of the Isolated Children's and Parents Association, commenting on the statewide nature of the housing problem.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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