New bonded teaching scholarship scheme

  • Trevor Mallard
Education

A new $18.8 million teaching scholarship scheme will pay secondary teachers for studying towards certain degrees, as the government focus continues on lifting education standards in our schools, Education Minister Trevor Mallard announced today.

"These scholarships could be worth more than $20,000 to some students, depending on the duration of their study. The scholarships will meet the cost of study fees for a three year degree and a year of teacher education and, for those studying full time, will also provide a maximum of $10,000 for other study costs," Trevor Mallard said.

"In return for the scholarships, recipients will be bonded and expected to teach for the same number of years for which they received the scholarship, once they graduate.

"Students entering or in degree programmes in the areas of te reo Maori, maths, physics, chemistry and technology will be eligible for the scheme, as these are subjects where more qualified teachers are needed. There is no limit on the numbers of scholarships awarded for secondary teaching each year, so anyone who includes a sufficient number of papers in one of these subjects in their degree and agrees to become a secondary teacher could be eligible.

"We expect 400 scholarships to be awarded each year, compared to 225 scholarships in the school sector previously. This represents a major investment in teaching, and demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that New Zealand schools are able to hire highly qualified teachers in any subject area," Trevor Mallard said.

Trevor Mallard announced this week that new bonded scholarships covering tuition fees and study costs would also be available for people from low income backgrounds to train as early childhood teachers, and as teachers in Maori and Pasifika language settings as part of a package of new teacher supply initiatives.

"Several thousand scholarships could be awarded each year under these scholarship schemes, compared with 455 under the previous schemes," Trevor Mallard said.

Applications for the 2005 scholarships will open in November. Information will be on www.teachNZ.govt.nz. Attached is the full list of initiatives to address secondary teacher shortages.

New Secondary Teacher Supply Initiatives

TeachNZ scholarships: Scholarships will be available which pay study fees for people studying for degrees in te reo Maori, physics, chemistry, maths and technology and then studying to become a secondary teacher of one of these subjects. Students will be eligible for the duration of the degree course. Full time students will also be eligible for up to $10,000 to assist with other study costs. Students will be bonded and have to teach for the same amount of time as they received their scholarship for.

Existing Secondary Teacher Supply Initiatives

Secondary Subject Trainee Allowance: A $10,000 allowance (payable in three instalments) available to graduates and near-graduates who have appropriate qualifications and are committed to becoming secondary teachers in targeted subjects. Currently these are biology, chemistry, computing, English, maths, physics, te reo Maori and technology.

National Relocation Grant: A grant of up to $3,000 available to teachers moving within New Zealand to ‘hard-to-staff’ positions or schools.

National Relocation Allowance: Available to schools recruiting to a ‘hard-to-staff’ position, where the recruited teacher is eligible for the National Relocation Grant. $2,500 is paid to the school.

International Relocation Grant: A grant of $5,000 for New Zealand trained teachers and $4,000 for overseas trained teachers living overseas to return or move to teaching positions in New Zealand. The grant for overseas trained teachers has been increased by $1,000.

Finder’s Fee: Up to $3,000 paid to schools to assist with the costs of recruiting teachers from overseas, such as advertising and telephone calls. The teacher must be appointed to a ‘hard-to-staff’ position.

Returning Teacher Allowance: This $2,000 allowance is available to secondary teachers returning to teach a targeted subject in a ‘hard-to-staff’ school.

Loan Support: Secondary teachers of maths, te reo Maori and physics who meet certain criteria are eligible for $2,500 in each of their second, third and fourth years of teaching. Teachers of other target subjects who teach in ‘hard to staff’ areas can also receive loan support.

Retraining courses: Funding is provided for free retraining courses that assist fully trained teachers who have been absent from teaching for some time back into teaching. Retraining courses are also available for primary teachers with appropriate subject qualifications to enable transition into secondary teaching.

Priority and High Priority Teacher Supply Allowances, and the Staffing Incentive Allowance: These are allowances available to teachers working in areas which typically have difficulty recruiting staff.