The Australian Labor Party (ALP) has revealed they plan to pay university students up to $48,000 to study teaching.
Under the new proposal, students would need to achieve a graduating ATAR score of 80 or above to receive $10,000 per year from the government to study.
There is also extra incentive to work regionally, with the ALP pledging an extra $2,000 per year for students if they commit to working in the country.
"We want to make sure our kids get the best education they can. That means we have to make sure they get the best quality teaching," Labor leader Anthony Albanese said, according to news.com.au.
"Labor’s plan will incentivise the best graduates to join the teaching profession, leading to a brighter future for our students and for the nation."
Shadow Education Minister Tanya Plibersek said the scheme aimed to improve both the number of teachers in the workforce and dipping school grades.
"One of the most important things we can do to stop the slide in students’ results and boost student results is to lift teaching standards," Plibersek told news.com.au.
"I want students competing to get into teaching like they do to get into medicine or law.
"If we want a better future in Australia, we need a smart, skilled workforce so we can compete for jobs and growth with our neighbours."
Plibersek pointed the finger at the Liberal Party for low test scores, but acting Education Minister Stuart Robert reckons the current state of students' grades is the result of 'dud' teachers.
"(We need to) stop pussyfooting around the fact that the problem is the protection of teachers that don’t want to be there, that aren’t up to the right standard,’’ he said, as reported by the Guardian.
Under Scott Morrison, Australian student results are on the slide, teacher entry standards are too low, and there’s a massive shortage of teachers.
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) May 9, 2022
Labor has a plan to fix those problems. pic.twitter.com/uNUNNmjppC
"They are graduating from university, or have been for the last 10 years, and they can’t read and write."
Labor's education polices also promise early-education programs to teach young children about respect in relationships, increased digital and media literacy skills, and the introduction of local First Nations languages to Australia's school system.
According to research collated by the University of Sydney, Australia can expect a mass teacher shortage in the coming years, with 4,000 fewer teachers than what is needed to educate Aussie kids by 2025.
Paired with a low completion rates of teaching degrees, education experts plan to be battening down the hatches for a rough couple of years.
Featured Image Credit: Jannis Werner / Alamy Stock Photo. Guerilla / Alamy Stock Photo.
Topics: Australia
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