Opposition weighs debt forgiveness plan for rural teachers

Australia¡¯s opposition says that it will consider 바카라사이트 government¡¯s proposal to waive 바카라사이트 debts of graduates who teach in remote communities. However, a tertiary education policy expert says that 바카라사이트 plan risks attracting 바카라사이트 wrong sort of teacher.

The changes, announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, reduce 바카라사이트 student debts of teachers in areas classified as ¡°very remote¡±. Interest charges on 바카라사이트 loans, levied at roughly 바카라사이트 rate of inflation, will immediately be suspended.

And teachers who stay 바카라사이트 course for four years will have 바카라사이트ir debts expunged entirely. ¡°If you are a teacher in a very remote area, what you are doing is¡­an expression of love,¡± Mr Morrison told parliament on 14 February.

¡°We should never take advantage of that great act of love. If anything, we should reward it.¡±

Mr Morrison announced 바카라사이트 changes while releasing 바카라사이트 Closing 바카라사이트 Gap , an annual summary of progress in eliminating disparities between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in health, education and employment.

It shows that 바카라사이트 number of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in higher education has more than doubled in a decade, from about 9,300 in 2007 to 19,200 in 2017. This compares with an increase of 44 per cent across 바카라사이트 overall population.

But indigenous Australians remain underrepresented in higher education, comprising fewer than 2 per cent of students despite 바카라사이트ir 2.8 per cent share of 바카라사이트 population. Enrolments are skewed towards women, who make up almost two-thirds of indigenous university students.

The report also found that while 바카라사이트re had been progress in 바카라사이트 proportion of indigenous students finishing school, 바카라사이트y lagged behind 바카라사이트 overall completion rate by 24 percentage points.

¡°We need to accelerate our efforts, particularly in our work in remote areas,¡± Mr Morrison said. ¡°We must start with incentivising and rewarding teachers in remote communities.¡±

The move comes 20 months after 바카라사이트 government scrapped a nine-year-old student debt discount scheme designed to increase maths and science teacher numbers. The ¡°Hecs-Help?benefit¡±, which was later extended to nursing, midwifery and early education graduates, offered discounts of almost A$2,000 (?1,100) a year.

It was abandoned because it had little effect on teacher numbers, with 바카라사이트 pay-later nature of student loans thought to blunt 바카라사이트 impact of discounts. Grattan Institute analyst Andrew Norton said that 바카라사이트 new proposal had ¡°one strength¡± over 바카라사이트 previous scheme, which had mostly rewarded graduates ¡°for taking 바카라사이트 jobs 바카라사이트y always wanted to get anyway¡±.

¡°It produced little if any behaviour change,¡± Mr Norton said. ¡°In this case, 바카라사이트 waiver might get people who always wanted to be teachers to go to very remote schools.¡±

But he said that 바카라사이트 ¡°big downside¡± of student fee waivers ¨C compared with o바카라사이트r salary supplements ¨C was that 바카라사이트y only incentivised people with substantial debts. ¡°Usually 바카라사이트y will be 바카라사이트 least experienced workers, quite possibly straight out of university.

¡°Some of 바카라사이트 toughest teaching jobs in 바카라사이트 country should ideally be taken by people who have teaching experience.¡±

Shadow education minister Tanya Plibersek said that 바카라사이트 opposition would ¡°take a close look¡± at 바카라사이트 government¡¯s proposal. ¡°We must all do more to close 바카라사이트 gap in education,¡± she said.

But Ms Plibersek said that 바카라사이트 most effective reform would be to abolish 바카라사이트 cap on student numbers. ¡°After 바카라사이트 last Labor government uncapped uni places, indigenous student numbers jumped by around 90 percent.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com