Key Points
Rebecca White and Labor will tackle a looming teacher shortage by creating new pathways and incentives for Tasmanians to study teaching.
Labor’s plan would attract 160-200 new teachers to Tasmanian schools over four years by:
- Providing paid internships and expense scholarships to encourage more students to start a teaching degree.
- Providing scholarship pathways and paid leave for teacher assistants (TAs) and educational support specialists (ESS) to study as teachers.
- Providing scholarships for First Nations teachers.
- Providing scholarships for people of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
Why we need it
There is a teaching shortage impacting every state, leading the Federal Government to develop the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan.
Surveys show that nearly 50 per cent of current teachers are considering leaving the profession and there are not enough new graduates coming through the system to plug the gaps.
“We will attract 160-200 new teachers to Tasmanian schools.”
New and innovative approaches are needed to attract teaching recruits, improve the diversity of the teaching workforce and counter stiff competition from other states that are offering targeted incentives to attract more teachers.
Tasmania has one of the highest percentages of First Nations students in the country but less than 1% of our teachers are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
By offering study support for First Nations & CALD teachers we can improve outcomes for First Nations students, increase student engagement and promote cultural understanding and diversity in the education system.
The details
Labor’s plan would offer 80 new scholarship packages to attract new students to study teaching, including:
- $2500 per year to help cover study costs
- A paid Intern Teacher at a public school for 1-2 days a week from the second year of university
- An assigned mentor for guidance through length of degree.
- This program would boost teaching numbers, provide invaluable practical experience to the students and assist with extra resourcing in schools during the internship period.
- Professional development recognition would be offered to mentor teachers for their participation in the program. Successful applicants would need to complete at least three years’ service teaching in Tasmanian public schools following graduation.
- Labor would offer additional targeted support to boost teacher numbers, in line with the recommendations of the Federal Government’s final report on Quality Initial Teacher Education Review.
- 20 x $10,000 university scholarships to current teacher TAs and ESS, plus 12 weeks study leave.
- 5 x $10,000 university scholarships will be offered for First Nations students to study a teaching degree or masters of teaching.
- 5 x $10,000 scholarships will be offered to people from CALD backgrounds.
Combined, these policies will work to put 160-200 new teachers in Tasmanian classrooms over four years.