Public school teachers will no longer be forced to move schools every decade as part of a major shake up to the state's education recruitment system.

Mr Weatherill says the initiative is designed to reduce the number of "displaced" teachers being placed into schools through a central pool and will enable schools to retain good, experienced teachers.

Contract teachers also will be given new opportunities to gain permanent employment.

Many of those who remain on contracts will be offered two or three-year employment.

Under the existing scheme, some staff, particularly young graduates, are employed for as little as a term.

Mr Weatherill will present the initiatives, to be implemented from later this year, at the Australian College of Educators and Australian Council of Educational Leaders breakfast in Adelaide.

Teachers currently have to move to a new school when their 10-year term is complete and are then given priority to fill new vacancies.

This means principals may not always obtain the best teacher for the role and contract or graduate teachers often miss out on jobs for which they are better qualified.

Under the new system, all public school principals would be given more authority to recruit the staff that best suited their needs, rather than being constricted to the pool of existing permanent teachers.

"Our system must allow schools to choose the right teacher for them and allow more opportunities for enthusiastic young teachers to get a secure job," Mr Weatherill said.

He said the state had an opportunity to "refresh and revitalise" its ageing teaching workforce.

"We know that over the next few years there will be an increase in teacher retirements," he said.

"We need to seize the opportunity to make teaching more attractive for young enthusiastic professionals."

The initiatives form the first of a series of policy direction discussion papers to be delivered by Mr Weatherill. Other initiatives to be announced today include:

A HOTLINE to be trialled from October, which will allow principals and preschool directors to call Mr Weatherill with their concerns, views or ideas.

A FEASIBILITY study into establishing a preschool and childcare centre at the Education Department head office in Flinders St, mainly aimed at low-income city workers.

REDUCING red tape in schools, including cutting the paperwork burden on principals in areas of administration, annual reporting, IT and building maintenance.

A PROGRAM inviting departmental officers to volunteer in classrooms for two days a year.

Mr Weatherill said improving the relationship between the Education Department and schools was crucial in laying down further reforms.

"There is a community perception that the (Education) Department is cumbersome, not timely in responding to the needs of schools and preschools, and has a culture that is not supportive of people in the front line as it should be," his discussion paper states.

"Cultural and structural factors, red tape and outdated practices are barriers that reinforce this perception ... We must overcome these barriers."

The reform is likely to be welcomed by the Australian Education Union, which has been calling for an overhaul of the system for the past two years. It follows Prime Minister Julia Gillard's election pledge to allow principals to manage their own budget and hire teachers.

Source: www.check4jobs.com.au

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