Illawarra's multicultural services will be forced to take up the slack if multicultural program staff are lost in a Department of Education and Communities restructure.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
NSW Teachers Federation regional organiser Nicole Calnan said the multicultural support positions were not included in a draft proposal of the restructure sent to department offices this month.
Under the restructure - part of the NSW government's plan to save $1.7 billion in education spending - Illawarra schools will be absorbed into a super region and support jobs will be cut.
"There is no provision for ensuring that the current level of multicultural program support for schools will continue," Ms Calnan said.
"Under this realignment, the positions of multicultural/ESL [English as a second language] consultant, community information officer, regional multicultural support officer and ESL/refugee- teacher mentors won't even exist."
Ms Calnan said the multicultural program staff performed several roles, from providing professional learning and support for ESL teachers to running multicultural and anti-racism programs in schools.
Earlier this week, the Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra (MCCI) convened a meeting of all CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities) representatives from the region.
MCCI general manager Terrie Leoleos said the loss of these valuable school roles would adversely affect the region's already disadvantaged communities.
"The Education Department's multicultural support program has played an intricate and important role across the state in supporting migrants, refugees and humanitarian entrants and settlements into this country, particularly in regional areas," Ms Leoleos said.
"Cutting positions like these ... will be detrimental not only to those communities but it will put a lot of pressure on multicultural services, which are already stretched and will have to take up the shortfall."
The MCCI this week sent a letter to the Education Department asking that they do a comprehensive review and engage multicultural services and communities in the process.
A department spokesman said a revised model of the restructure would be available on Monday, with a final model to be released on December 21.