Cash bonuses offered to drive “best and brightest” into teaching

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) will offer Australia’s “top achievers” bursaries of up to $40,000 to encourage them to consider a career in education, Tanya Plibersek, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Education and Training, has announced today.

Up to 1,000 bursaries will be made available in 2020 to “Year 12 students with exceptional marks, and people with outstanding achievement at University or in the workplace” Ms Plibersek said, adding “If you were dux of your school, won a university medal, or are at the top of your profession, we want you to consider a teaching degree.”

The tax-free bursaries of $10,000 per annum will be paid to recipients for the duration of a teaching degree, up to a maximum of four years, in a move to present a career in education in the same light as other, more competitive courses.

“We want people competing to get into teaching in the same way they compete to get into medicine. We want Australians with a track record of achievement, motivation, and capability to teach the next generation.  

“A career in teaching should be a first choice, not a fallback,” Ms Plibersek said.

To retain eligibility for the bursary, students will have to maintain a high level of academic achievement throughout their degree, and work in public education for between one and four years, depending on how long the bursary was received for.

Further information can be found on the ALP website.