The Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) 2021-22 Annual Report was tabled on 20 December 2022, at the first sitting of Parliament following the 2022 State election.

The 2021-22 financial year brought extraordinary challenges, juggling the impact of COVID-19, working remotely and at the same time, building on and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our regulatory services.

I am thrilled to report that despite the challenges, we achieved major improvements in our teacher registration functions and dramatically reduced wait times on our teacher, principal and early childhood hotlines.

The VIT has also been faced with absorbing additional regulatory obligations from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (which undertakes NCCHCs on our behalf) to include additional identity validation components in our registration process.

We continue to be challenged by the increasing number of teacher conduct cases being reported to us from the Commission for Children and Young People, Victoria Police, employers, parents and other complainants. Our current caseload represents a 168.8% increase per year of the baseline caseload since the introduction of the reportable conduct scheme in Victoria in 2017.

The VIT accredits initial teacher education (ITE) programs in accordance with the nationally-agreed standards, and has planned for the implementation of our new statutory functions for the approval of pathway programs into ITE and endorsement of professional development programs for teachers.

As the VIT is only funded through teacher registration and ITE accreditation fees, it has been (and continues to be) a challenge to balance statutory and regulatory responsibilities within the limited budget available. While there is an imperative to increase the number of investigative and legal staff to address rising conduct notifications in a timely fashion, VIT has had no capacity to increase its current staffing during the review period.

I am immensely proud of what we have achieved under extraordinary circumstances, and extend my heartfelt thanks to VIT staff and Council members. I am very proud of the way VIT staff have engaged with and supported our co-regulators and stakeholders throughout this challenging period, working closely with the Department of Education and Training; the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority; the Commission for Children and Young People; Victoria Police; Working with Children Check Victoria; the Disability Worker Commission; the Australian Education Union (Victoria); the Independent Education Union (Vic/Tas); teacher and principal associations; and other Australian teacher regulatory authorities.

I would also like to make special mention of the wonderful support and advice provided by Parents Victoria, Catholic School Parents Victoria, the Victorian Parents Council and the Victorian Student Representative Council.

The new year brings new challenges, and VIT has already made great headway on delivering on key initiatives. This includes the continued protection of children and young people through strengthened identity validation checks with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and raising quality teaching through a review of VIT’s approach to professional learning to ensure a contemporary framework.

Peter Corcoran
Chief Executive Officer