At least 140 Flinders University students will benefit from $5000 teaching scholarships announced by the South Australian Government to encourage talented students into teaching careers.

The $2 million “Enabling Educator Excellence” (E3) scholarships teaching scholarships initiative aims to get more women teaching STEM and more male primary school teachers – as well as other underrepresented groups into the teaching profession.

The State Government will award 400 scholarships worth $5000 over the next four years to strengthen and diversify the teaching profession in South Australia – with more than a third going to Flinders University students, to help with costs to start a teaching degree.

The scholarships will be awarded in four categories:
• Women in STEM
• High ATAR or GPA
• First Nation people
• Men in primary school teaching.

Flinders University Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling says it’s a welcome encouragement to attract the best and brightest into areas of need.

“These scholarships are a great initiative that will help students achieve their aspiration to study at Flinders University and become the highly skilled and job-ready teachers of the future,” says Professor Stirling.

“Teaching is a highly respected profession around the world, and this initiative will ensure talented people from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to consider it as an option.”

SA Deputy Premier Susan Close says enabling women in STEM will help propel the skilled workforce that is needed in the wake of last week’s AUKUS announcement.

‘The Malinauskas Government is committed to creating a diverse and strong teaching cohort in South Australia, and these scholarships will play an important role in this,” says Minister Close.

“I am proud to be delivering on this election commitment to support some of our best and brightest students enrolled in teaching degrees.”

Education Minister Blair Boyer says the new offer is part of the State Government’s Seven Point Plan for Teaching Quality, which addresses issues related to quality and specialisation in teaching, employment certainty and regional attraction.

“We need to ensure that talented people from diverse backgrounds consider teaching, not only as a rewarding career path for themselves, but also to ensure our children and young people are set up for their own promising future,” says Minister Boyer.

“There are few careers that offer opportunities to make a difference in young people’s lives – and teaching is one of those professions.

“We have an enormous opportunity to take genuine action to tackle workforce shortages in education and I am excited to work collaboratively with the Deputy Premier and our three universities to get more South Australians into teaching.”