Teachers in New South Wales (NSW) are voicing concerns over the increasing amount of unpaid overtime they are required to work in order to prepare lessons and manage administrative tasks. According to the NSW Teachers Federation, educators are spending hours before and after school developing lesson plans and addressing the welfare of students, particularly those with complex needs. This extra burden has significantly exceeded the time allocated for lesson preparation, leading to calls for systemic changes that would alleviate these pressures.

Eleanor Lewis, an assistant principal and teacher, exemplifies the situation many educators face, noting that she can dedicate up to three hours daily to these tasks without appropriate compensation. Current regulations only provide NSW primary school teachers with approximately two hours of scheduled lesson preparation time per week. This allocation hasn't been adjusted in many years, making it increasingly difficult for teachers to balance their workloads with the diverse requirements of their students.

With the NSW Teachers Federation advocating for an increase of two hours of preparation time weekly, the discussion around teacher workload, classroom management, and student support has gained urgency. The implications of this push extend beyond just increasing lesson prep time; they raise questions about the adequacy of current educational policies in supporting both teachers and students, and could lead to future negotiations around teacher compensation and working conditions.