Portfolio — 26 August 2026

The Minister for Education used today's single media release to announce the latest round of Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships, awarding 1,000 places to students who began teaching degrees in 2026 [TA-260826-educat-a41253e073a9]. The announcement reinforces the portfolio's workforce-strategy framing: the scholarship scheme is positioned as a core element of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, the government's principal response to the teacher shortage [TA-260826-educat-a41253e073a9].

**Scholarship structure and recipient profile**

Undergraduate recipients receive up to $40,000 over four years and postgraduate recipients up to $20,000 over two years [TA-260826-educat-a41253e073a9]. Recipients must commit to teach for up to four years (undergraduate) or two years (postgraduate) in public schools or early-learning settings, with a $2,000 top-up for those completing final-year placements in remote communities [TA-260826-educat-a41253e073a9].

About 70 per cent of recipients are high-achieving students with an ATAR above 80, roughly one-third come from regional, rural or remote areas, and around 6 per cent are First Nations students [TA-260826-educat-a41253e073a9]. The scheme explicitly targets mid-career professionals, people with disability, English-as-an-additional-language speakers, and those from low-socio-economic backgrounds alongside high-achieving school leavers [TA-260826-educat-a41253e073a9].

**Scale and trajectory**

The program aims to deliver 5,000 scholarships over five years and has already awarded about 3,000 across three rounds since 2024 [TA-260826-educat-a41253e073a9]. Following the 20 August focus on early-childhood enforcement and Indigenous leadership, today's announcement continues the portfolio's emphasis on quality and equity across the education pipeline [TA-260826-educat-a41253e073a9].