Hundreds of teachers from across the region marched through Dubbo on Tuesday as part of 24-hour strike across the state.
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Public school teachers went out on strike due to unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive salaries which is contributing to growing teacher shortages which has led to over 3,000 permanent positions being vacant across NSW.
Tuesday's strike saw several hundred teachers march towards Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders' office in the CBD.
President of the Gilgandra Teachers Association Bree Patton said the situation is more important than some people believe.
"All the schools in our region are facing similar situations," she said.
"We've got classes uncovered, kids being taught by unqualified teachers.
"It's just gotten worse and worse this year."
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Ms Patton admitted teachers who marched on Tuesday had come from all across the western region and she believes it could be a bigger event next year should the government not act.
"We've got people here from Lightning Ridge, Brewarrina, Coonabarabran, obviously Dubbo, Gilgandra, Parkes and Peak Hill," he said.
"We've had a massive turn out so hopefully next if the government's not going to do anything we can continue to build on it."
While there was not an exact figure on how many teachers attended the strike, Ms Patton is confident the number was high.
"I think at an estimate we'd have 500 people," she said.
"But in addition to that 500 there is heaps more who are off school and refusing to work for the day."
Ms Patton and her fellow teachers believe the government should be doing more after figures which were released to Parliament suggested 81.4 per cent of schools in the Central West had a vacant permanent teaching position in October.
"It's about time the government take onboard our considerations," Ms Patton said.
"They need to take onboard all the recommendations that the Gallop Inquiry has found.
"Enough is enough. We need to be valued as a profession and in order to do that they need to increase salaries.
"We need to get kids better education because it's not only us who is being let down, it is also the kids."
Figures released by the NSW government show that teacher shortages are forcing one-in-five year 7 to 10 teachers to teach outside their area of expertise.
Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said he "fully supports" the "exceptional" role the region's teachers currently play in shaping the lives of the younger generation but did question the strike.
"Today's stop work action was triggered by concerns around a teacher shortage and pay rates, but I'm not sure it's done anything to solve it," he said.
"In regards to teacher shortages, all organisation have vacancies and the vacancy rate in NSW for teachers is at a low level for an organisation of its size - hovering at about 2%. A vacancy in a school is covered by a casual or temporary teacher and does not mean a class is without a teacher."
The state government recently announced $8 million of a $15 million incentives package to be used to include temporary teachers and double the bonuses for teachers taking jobs in regional areas around NSW.
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