High school graduates with an ATAR over 80 will be paid up to $48k to study teaching: Labor

High school graduates will be paid up to $48,000 in cash to study this vital degree under a Labor plan to fix a critical shortage.

High school graduates with an ATAR over 80 will be paid up to $48,000 in cash to study teaching under a Labor plan to fix the teacher shortage.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has announced the new education policy as the campaign heads into the final fortnight and the ALP remains the frontrunner to win the election according to two new polls.

Under the plan, students who get an ATAR of 80 or above will get $10,000 a year to study an education degree, most of which are four years long.

If students commit to teaching in a regional area they’ll get an extra $2,000 per year.

That means a student can earn up to $40,000 for studying teaching and up to $48,000 if they are prepared to work in a regional area.

“We want to make sure our kids get the best education they can. That means we have to make sure they get the best quality teaching,’’ Mr Albanese said.

“Labor’s plan will incentivise the best graduates to join the teaching profession, leading to a brighter future for our students and for the nation.”

Graduates have a chance to earn almost $50,000.

According to Labor, a similar scheme in the United Kingdom has seen a jump in enrolments in teaching degrees.

Labor’s education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said she wanted teaching degrees to become as sought after as law or medicine attracting high-flying students.

“One of the most important things we can do to stop the slide in students’ results and boost student results is to lift teaching standards,’’ she said.

“I want students competing to get into teaching like they do to get into medicine or law.

“If we want a better future in Australia, we need a smart, skilled workforce so we can compete for jobs and growth with our neighbours.”

Ms Plibersek said the proposal was designed to address falling student results across Australia.

“The Morrison Government has let our children down with a school system that’s falling even further behind countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Korea,’’ she said.

“Year 10 students today are a full year behind on their reading and maths compared to year 10 students twenty years ago.

“Under the Liberals, Australian students have recorded their worst ever results in international reading, maths, and science tests.

“This is a disaster for students, who aren’t being properly prepared for high-skilled, well-paid jobs, and it’s a disaster for the economy.”

Australian opposition leader Anthony Albanese. Picture: Alex Ellinghausen/Getty Images

Labor is warning of a looming teacher shortage of about 4,000 teachers by 2025, according to Senate testimony from the federal education department.

There are three prongs to Labor’s education policy.

It will seek to double the number of high achievers studying teaching over the next decade from around 1,800 a year to 3,600 a year.

To help boost teacher enrolments, it will pay 5000 students who get an ATAR of 80 or above up to $12,000 a year to study an education degree.

Thirdly, Labor will work with states and territories, through school funding negotiations, 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.

“For example, this could mean higher pay and more responsibility for elite teachers working as literacy and numeracy specialists or helping coach early career teachers in the classroom,’’ Ms Plibersek said.

Battleground zero: The 29 races that’ll decide the 2022 election

Acting Education Minister Stuart Robert has blamed “dud” teachers for poor student results.

“(We need to) stop pussyfooting around the fact that the problem is the protection of teachers that don’t want to be there, that aren’t up to the right standard,’’ he said.

“They are graduating from university, or have been for the last 10 years, and they can’t read and write.

Education Minister Alan Tudge remains on voluntary leave after a workplace investigation found it could not substantiate claims he bullied a former Liberal staffer Rachelle Miller who he also conducted an extramarital affair with during her employment.

Mr Tudge denies the claims. Ms Miller is negotiating a $500,000 compensation payout with the Department of Finance over her treatment during nearly 10 years working for the Liberal Party across multiple ministerial offices.

Originally published as High school graduates with an ATAR over 80 will be paid up to $48k to study teaching: Labor