“It is a positive initiative for very remote schools and communities, an acknowledgement of the issues facing the
education sector and the Federal Government’s commitment to address them.”
Under th e plan, teachers including early childhood teachers who have completed four years working in very
remote Australia can apply to receive a cut to their HELP debt.
Ms Collins said Catholic schools are present throughout Australia, including some of the mos t remote communities.
“We are committed to improving equitable learning outcomes for all students, especially those from disadvantaged
backgrounds including regional, rural and remote Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students
wi th disability and students from low socio -economic backgrounds,” Ms Collins said.
“This initiative is a step in the right direction to ensuring equitable and improved learning outcomes for all
students. We look forward to hearing about further initiatives arising from the National Teacher Workforce Action
Plan as the year progresses.”
NCEC is the peak body for Catholic Education in Australia and is responsible for the national coordination and
representation of Catholic schools and education authorities.
There are 1,755 Catholic schools educating over 785,000 or one in five Australian students and employing over
102,000 staff.
