Ben Sacco is an author and Managing Director of Education Economy with two decades of experience working alongside schools and systems to strengthen leadership, school culture, student behaviour and outcomes through practical, evidence-informed approaches to education reform.
From Term 1, 2027, Victorian schools with secondary students will be required to include planned daily device-free learning time within their teaching and learning programs. At the same time, primary schools will no longer be permitted to operate Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs, shifting responsibility for student devices back to schools.
The Allan Government and the AEU are presenting the proposed Victorian Government Schools Agreement as a landmark deal for public education. The headlines have focused heavily on wages, with claims that Victorian teachers could soon become the best paid in the country. However, emerging details suggest many of the workload, staffing issues and conditions facing teachers remain largely untouched.
The current Victorian teacher dispute has been framed publicly as a “pay dispute” but the negotiations have consistently revolved around a broader issue: what exactly do we mean when we talk about staff conditions? The answer depends entirely on who is speaking.
