Territory teaching students receive $40,000 scholarships

The Albanese Labor Government has awarded scholarships of up to $40,000 each to 11 Territorians who are studying to become teachers.

They are part of the almost 1,000 teaching students across the country who received scholarships.

The students are the first cohort to benefit from the Government’s election promise to deliver the $160 million Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships Program.

The 11 successful students from the NT will receive a scholarship of up to $40,000 for undergraduate studies and up to $20,000 for postgraduate studies in initial teacher education.

The scholarships 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 public schools or early learning settings.

The scholarships are 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.

This first round of the program has been highly successful, with more than 3,000 applications received and interest in the program continuing to grow.  

The next round of scholarships will open later this year for teaching students commencing their studies in 2025.

This is one part of the Government’s plan to attract more people to become teachers.

The Government is also introducing a Commonwealth Prac Payment for teaching students, reforming teaching course content at uni to better prepare teachers for the classroom and has launched a national campaign to boost the status of the profession.

For further information or to register your interest in the next round of the program visit: www.education.gov.au/teaching-scholarships  

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

“Teachers do the most important job 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 in the NT are all about.

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

“This first round will help almost 1,000 of the best and brightest teaching students across Australia 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 paid prac for teaching students, our reforms to teacher training and the Be That Teacher campaign to elevate the profession.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy:

“Congratulations to the 11 Territory recipients of this terrific initiative to grow our teacher workforce.

“Supporting aspiring teachers from diverse backgrounds, will help address the teacher shortage and ensure that our classrooms reflect the rich cultural diversity of our nation.

“These scholarships will also offer an opportunity for First Nations teachers to bring their unique perspectives and experiences into the education system, enriching the learning for all students.

“We recognise the importance of representation in education, and by investing in these future educators, we are laying the foundation for future generations.”