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Victorians studying to become high school teachers will have their degrees and living costs subsidised by the state government, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced.
The $229 million package comes after principals, teachers and school staff held a protest on the steps of state parliament on Friday to highlight Victoria’s chronic teacher shortage.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Credit: Wayne Taylor
The Australian Education Union says job vacancies are at an all-time high, with as many as 2600 jobs yet to be filled.
The union recently wrote to the premier to request retention payments for existing teachers and additional financial support for those studying to enter the profession.
“No one needed to protest [at] the parliament,” the premier said at Saltwater P-9 College in Point Cook in Melbourne’s west on Tuesday morning. “No one needed to put ads in the paper. Like every day that we’ve been in office, we have invested in state schools.
“It’s not for our benefit as one group within the community, but for everybody’s benefit. So, there was no need to put ads in the paper. But again, that’s a matter for others. They can choose to run their union as they see fit.”
The government has recruited 5000 teachers since 2020 — a figure it says is higher than any other state.
The announcement echoes the government’s support for graduate nurses last year.
The premier said he expected 4000 graduate teachers to benefit from the scheme, which will be open to students who enrol in teaching degrees in 2024 and 2025 and then choose to work in government secondary schools.
Andrews said the subsidies were geared towards public high school teachers because that was where Victoria was experiencing its most acute workplace shortages.
“This is a really significant investment in that group of people who change lives. This a lot of money. But it’s not a cost. It’s a profound investment in the future of our state,” he said.
Australian Principals Federation president Tina King applauded the government for providing incentives.
“But society also has a role to play in giving teaching the kudos and the status the profession deserves in demonstrating respect and consideration for the work our teachers do,” King said.
“We are still going to have trouble attracting people to the profession. It’s a start, and it will help, but alongside that, society has a part to play in supporting our teachers.”
More to come
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