AI pilot in WA to help tackle teacher workloads

The Western Australian Government has announced that it is funding, along with the federal government, an artificial intelligence pilot program in education with the aim of reducing teacher workloads in the state.

The $4.7 million initiative will use AI at eight WA schools to reduce lesson planning time so teachers can spend more time in the classroom and less time doing admin.

The WA Department of Education will deliver the pilot in partnership with Catholic Education WA, the Association of Independent Schools of WA and the School Curriculum and Standards Authority. The aim of the pilot is to help reduce admin workloads for teachers by supporting things like drafting lesson plans and suggesting learning activities aligned to the national curriculum.

Commonwealth funding, under the Workload Reduction Fund, will be matched with equal co-investment from the WA Government to implement the pilot. The WA non-government sector will also contribute $300,000 towards the pilot.

The pilot drew on consultation with teachers, principals and deputies, school support staff, peak bodies and unions. It is part of the Commonwealth’s $30 million Workload Reduction Fund under the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, which Education Ministers agreed to in December 2022.

This initiative will be informed by the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools, which assists school communities use generative AI in a safe and effective way.

This builds on the recently signed Statement of Intent by the Australian and Western Australian Governments to fully and fairly fund all WA public schools by 2026.

“Teaching is the most important job in the world, and the idea that teachers clock on at 9 am and knock off at 3 pm is rubbish,” said Federal Education Minister Jason Clare. “AI will never replace a great teacher, but it can help cut down the time they spend doing admin so they can spend more time in the classroom.”

“We want our teachers to be teaching our kids. To do this, unnecessary administrative burdens must be reduced, and we hope this new pilot program can support our teachers and ease their workload,” said WA Education Minister Dr Tony Buti. “We are determined to create the right conditions for school staff to get on with their jobs of providing a great education.”

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