Australians who start a teaching degree next year will pay less for their degree and graduate into a profession with strong employment prospects.
Following publication yesterday of Australia's improved results in the international maths and science test TIMMS, Minister for Education Dan Tehan said more Australians should consider a career as a science or maths teacher.
From next year, Australian students will pay just $3,950 per year to study teaching, which is a 42 per cent reduction in the cost, under the Morrison Government's Job-ready Graduates reforms.
Teaching graduates enjoy strong full-time employment outcomes and starting salaries on graduation, with a full-time employment rate of 80.6 per cent and median full-time salary of $70,000, compared to the graduate average of 68.7 per cent and median salary of $64,700.
"Australia will need more teachers to help drive our recovery from COVID-19 so our Government is creating more places for teaching students and lowering the cost to study a teaching degree," Mr Tehan said.
"From next year, up to 30,000 more Australians will get the opportunity to benefit from a higher education thanks to our Job-ready Graduates reforms, combined with the $550 million for extra university places in this year's Budget.
"More Australians applied to study education in 2020, with growth in applications up two per cent in that field of study, so we know people want to become teachers.
"Our Government has a plan to support more Australians to study degrees that lead to jobs.
"For example, jobs in the future will require higher levels of skills in mathematics and data. In recognition of this, the cost to students of studying mathematics will reduce by 59 per cent."
Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers President Lauren Beams said Australia had to grow its number of graduate teachers of mathematics.
"There is a shortage in Australia of qualified mathematics teachers. With 1 in 3 secondary maths classes being taught by out of field teachers there is an increasing need to attract mathematical sciences graduates to teaching. We strongly commend the Government for incentivising the learning and teaching of mathematics to try to address this issue."
Last year, 10,377 students graduated nationwide with a teaching degree: 2,755 from a NSW university, 2,396 from Victoria, 1,567 from Queensland, 735 from South Australia, 1,315 from Western Australia, 142 graduates from Tasmania, 155 from the ACT and 170 from the Northern Territory.
Australian Catholic University produced 1,142 of initial teacher education graduates in 2019, followed by Deakin University [555 graduates], The University of Newcastle [548 graduates], and Charles Sturt University [512 graduates].
