Teacher vacancies have hit 2,000 across NSW.

There are now more than 2,000 permanent teacher vacancies in New South Wales, according to recent stats, amid a stoush between the union and the government over pay and conditions.

Some schools needed at least six new staff, while two schools had up to 14 full-time-equivalent roles vacant, according to Department of Education figures from July. 

But NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell says picking a “random point in time to delineate vacancy rates” does not show reality.

“The NSW public education system has a stable staff vacancy rate of around 3 per cent, which is very low for a system of our size,” Ms Mitchell told reporters this week.

“The latest data shows that 7 out of 10 public schools have no vacancies, or only one.”

Meanwhile, the Teachers Federation has warned that staff will leave if they are not offered better pay and conditions.

Union members rallied outside the Industrial Relations Commission this week as the government attempted to push through a new three-year award. 

The president of the NSW Teachers Federation, Angelo Gavrielatos, said the government’s offer would be a real wages cut that will make more people leave the profession.

“You can’t fix the teacher shortage problem without fixing the wages and workload problem,” Mr Gavrielatos said.

“Right now we have a crisis in our classrooms. Kids are missing out in public and private schools because of the shortages and teachers are burning out.”