Earlier today the Opposition Leader, Hon Anthony Albanese and Shadow Education Minister, Hon Tanya Plibersek, released the ALP's policy aimed at 'Fixing Teacher Shortages and Lifting Standards'
Under the policy the ALP indicate that they will:
- Seek to double the number of high achievers studying teaching over the next decade. To help achieve this we will pay 5000 students who get an ATAR of 80 or above a bursary of up to $12,000 a year to study an initial teacher education degree.
- Boost the High Achieving Teachers Program to support 1,500 qualified professionals in other fields – including mathematicians and scientists – to retrain as teachers through an employment-based pathway that will pay a part-time wage while they complete an intensive master’s degree in education. The 1,500 extra places will include 700 new Teach for Australia teachers and 60 new teachers through LaTrobe University’s Nexus Program.
- Labor will work with States and Territories, through the next National School Reform Agreement, to make sure teachers have a better career path with more opportunities to become recognised and rewarded as experts, and to pass on their skills to other teachers without having to leave classroom teaching.
They are costing this policy at $146.5 million over four years.