Queensland teacher shortage sees students miss out on electives, class sizes double, says union: Students are missing out on elective subjects and teachers are taking on subjects they are not qualified to teach, because of significant staff shortages at some state schools.

A significant teacher shortage means students in some state schools are missing out on elective subjects & extracurricular activities, with staff desperately trying to plug the gaps by taking on more classes & teaching subjects they're not qualified for.

More than 180 teachers threatened to walk off the job next week if the shortages weren't addressed, after three regional Queensland schools commenced with vacancies, for the fourth year in a row.

But the education department promised to fully staff the schools & to work on long-term solutions after a four-day negotiation, prompting the teachers' union to suspend the industrial action.

Earlier this week, the union said the action was "a last resort" after years of teacher vacancies had taken a toll & schools were "struggling to provide for their students".

A union spokesperson said three schools had started 2024 with up to 11 vacancies, for a range of subjects including science, maths, English, industrial design, & technology.

The union said in the short term, the three schools would be staffed by unregistered teachers who are given Permission To Teach waivers, staff on the...