CDU to train more educators with Commonwealth teaching Scholarships
Scholarships worth up to $40k are set to make education access easier for Territorians pursuing careers as teachers.
Education
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Gabriel Segovia is one of 12 Charles Darwin University students who received a $40,000 scholarship to kickstart their teaching careers.
Before Mr Segovia – who moved to Australia in 2012 – picked up work in the NT’s fishing industry, he worked as an advanced mathematics lecturer in his home country of Ecuador.
He said the cost to becoming a qualified teacher in Australia previously held him back from pursuing tertiary education in the NT, but the federal government’s scholarship program “changed (his) life”.
The Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships offer $40,000 to undergraduate teaching students and $20,000 to postgraduate students.
Almost 1000 students have accessed the scholarships to date under the $160 million program.
The funding is only accessible to domestic students, despite the Territory’s reliance on international students to keep the economy afloat.
CDU Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman said the nation’s teacher shortage was particularly prevalent in the Territory, and the scholarship pool would help high school graduates and career swappers alike pursue jobs in education.
“At CDU we have incredibly talented students who want to study teaching and make a difference in the community and these scholarships will help support these students to complete their studies so that they can go on and have successful teaching careers,” Mr Bowman said.
“We thank Minister Clare and the Commonwealth for their support through these scholarships, their commitment will go a long way to ensure the future of education in the Territory.”
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the scholarships were available across the country, though there was “no particular quota” for getting students to sign up for the scheme.
“What we’ve said with the scholarships is that we want young people that are coming from poor families, from Indigenous backgrounds, from regional Australia to put their hands up and apply for these scholarships,” he said.
“This could be make or break, it could be the difference between whether they become a teacher or not.”
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