07 November 2023

The Hon Kristy McBain
Member for Eden-Monaro

The Government is delivering its $160 million Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships Program election commitment with students commencing teaching degrees in 2024 now able to register for scholarships worth up to $40,000, encouraging more people to become teachers in Eden-Monaro.

The scholarships will include a ‘commitment to teach’ requirement, which means recipients must be willing to commit to teach for four years (undergraduate) and two years (postgraduate) in government-run schools or early learning settings across Eden-Monaro.

The 5,000 scholarships will be available for new teaching students studying from 2024 and will be targeted at high-achieving school leavers, mid-career professionals, First Nations peoples, people with disability, people from whom English is an additional language or dialect and individuals from rural, regional and remote locations or from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Scholarships of $40,000 each will be available for undergraduate teaching students over four years and $20,000 for postgraduate students over two years.

Students completing their final year professional experience placements in rural or remote communities may also be eligible for an additional top-up payment of $2,000.

This also builds on the Government’s program to cut HECS-HELP debt for teachers in very remote areas.

Prospective teaching students can check their eligibility and register their interest at education.gov.au/teaching-scholarships. Applications close on 14 January 2024.

Quotes attributable to Kristy McBain, Member for Eden-Monaro:

 “We know that teacher shortages impact our kids’ education, that’s why the Government is committed to encouraging more people to study to become a teacher in Eden-Monaro.

“This is one of the ways we are working to boost the teacher workforce in areas that need it the most.

“I encourage our best and brightest Eden-Monaro students to register for one of these scholarships.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

“Teachers do one of the most important jobs in the world, but we don’t have enough of them.

“I want more young people to leap out of high school and want to become a teacher, rather than a lawyer or a banker.

“And I want more people in the middle of their careers to consider becoming teachers.

“That’s what these scholarships are all about.

“Tying scholarships to a commitment to teach is an old school idea that will help tackle today’s teacher workforce challenges.

“They will help 5,000 of the best and brightest teaching students to complete their studies and begin changing lives in the schools who need it most.

“This is one part of our plan to tackle the teacher workforce shortage and builds on our reforms to teacher training, extra uni places for teaching and the Be that teacher campaign to elevate the profession.”

Media Contacts:

Minister McBain, Holly Winchester 0402 906 925

Minister Clare, Chrysti Moran – 0484 521 418