Barely a week goes by without mention of declining Initial Teacher Education (ITE) entry standards. Earlier this week, a leaked report suggested there were 28 students in 2015 accepted into a teaching degree with an ATAR between 0 and 19.

This report is the latest addition to a bulging evidence locker exhibiting the protracted battle certain universities have been waging with the teaching profession and with the NSW government for the better part of a decade.

Some institutions have been accused of lowering their standards just to get more student fees. Credit:Cathryn Tremain

Both the government (as the largest employer of teachers in the state) and current teachers and principals (as guardians of the profession) have a legitimate expectation that universities produce graduates who are capable of making significant contributions to the pedagogical landscape. Perhaps even more importantly, parents have the legitimate expectation that the people teaching their kids are the very best.

Yet certain universities have lost sight of their societal duty. Focused on the profits they make from cramming teaching degrees with as many students as possible, they view their ITE programs as income streams rather than training grounds for future educational leaders.