Australian students shun education degrees as fears grow over ‘unprecedented’ teacher shortage

University application first preferences dropped almost 20% this year, compared with 2023

Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Graduating high school students are continuing to turn away from teaching degrees in huge numbers, early application data shows, as concern grows over “unprecedented” workforce shortages.

The data, provided to Guardian Australia from the Universities Admissions Centre, showed education degrees received just 1,935 first preferences this year, a 19.24% decline compared with 2023 and the lowest rate since at least 2016, when public records became available.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading…

About Author