The Australian Education Union has welcomed the state government’s decision to provide free teaching degrees, but says more needs to be done to ease teacher shortages in Wyndham.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Education minister Natalie Hutchins last week visited Saltwater P-9 College in Point Cook to announce a $93.2 million scholarship program that will cover the cost of degrees for those studying to become secondary school, teachers in Victoria.
The new scholarships and will be available to all students who enrol in secondary school teaching degrees in 2024 and 2025, with final payments if they then work in Victorian government schools for two years after they graduate, supporting around 4,000 future teachers each year.
AEU Victorian Branch Deputy President Justin Mullaly said while the scholarships were a positive, current teacher shortages in Victoria required more immediate action.
“We need to do more to retain existing school staff in the system,“ Mr Mullaly said.
“Retention payments are one of the many solutions the government can implement now to acknowledge the key role
of teachers, education support staff, and principals, their valuable work, and encourage them
to stay in the profession.“
According to recent estimates from the Department of Education, there are about 150 teacher vacancies in Wyndham’s public schools, one of highest rates in the state.
The scholarships are part of a broader $229.8 million package from the state government to grow Victoria’s school workforce.
It includes a further $27 million for the Targeted Financial Incentives Program which provides up to $50,000 to teachers from Victoria, interstate and overseas to take up positions in rural and remote government schools; $95.7 million to expand the Career Start initiative to support and retain teachers, developing graduate teachers in government schools with extra preparation time, mentoring and other professional support and $13.9 million to support a trial of employment-based degrees for undergraduates.
“Teachers change lives – it’s as simple as that. This will mean one less barrier for Victorians thinking of a career in teaching, and more great teachers for the education state,” Premier Daniel Andrews said,
