Teachers could leave preschools just when they are most needed following the Covid-19 lockdown due to a big jump in the cost of their teaching fees, an industry body says.
Teaching Council certification fees are set to jump 113 per cent next February, when they rise from a $220.80 fee paid every three years to a new $157 annual fee.
The fees are required for teachers to become qualified and are often paid or subsidised by centres, the Early Childhood Council says.
It surveyed Early Childhood Education centres who were its members and found 70 per cent of centres fully pay the cost of teaching fees for their teachers.
However, only 13 per cent would continue to do so under the new fee structure, while 56 per cent say they will stop paying any subsidy towards their teachers' fees.