New initiative to encourage students from isolated parts of the state to become teachers

9/8/99
Secondary students from isolated parts of the State are being encouraged to consider careers as rural teachers under a new initiative announced by the State Government today.
In Moora, speaking to students at the St James' Residential College, Education Minister Colin Barnett said the Government would fund 10 scholarships each year to contribute towards the cost of accommodating year 11 and 12 students in residential secondary colleges who intended to study for teaching degrees at university after their high school graduation.
Sponsored by the Country High School Hostels Authority, the initiative is the latest aimed at encouraging more young West Australians, particularly those from rural WA, into the teaching profession.
Once students have successfully completed their university teaching degree, they will be guaranteed a placement in a rural government school in the same region as their family home.
Mr Barnett said next year, the scholarships would be offered to students for accommodation at Geraldton, Katanning, Merredin, Northam and St James' (Moora) residential colleges. Colleges at Albany, Esperance and Narrogin would participate in the initiative in the future.
He said the two year scholarships would see the Government contribute around $2000 to the residential college boarding fee each year.
"Further to these scholarships, once the students have completed their secondary education, they will then be eligible to apply for another scholarship which covers the discounted upfront HECS charge for university teacher courses," Mr Barnett said.
"Around 40 scholarships are awarded each year to some of Western Australia's high achieving students offered places at university to study for a teaching career.
"Each of these scholarships is valued at around $12,000 over four years."
Mr Barnett said the scholarships complemented other government initiatives aimed at encouraging more teachers to work in the country, including:

• the Country Incentives Package - more than 1750 teachers have received their first financial incentive payment, in some cases up to $1900, under the package which also includes professional incentives to encourage teachers to work in difficult to staff schools;
• the Remote Teaching Service - this initiative offers additional allowances to teachers in very isolated schools;
• joint mining and education industry scholarships - each is worth $5000 and supports university teacher trainees in their final classroom practicum in Goldfields or Pilbara schools;
• internships - 16 university technology and enterprise teacher trainees who have completed the required core units for their teaching qualification will be paid full teacher salaries to complete their ATPs and spend the remainder of the final semester of their four-year teaching degree in a government school; and -
• housing improvements - a $43 million three-year construction and leasing program is underway to upgrade housing in rural and remote areas.