That ICPA (Aust) requests that the relevant ministers and government departments extend the current scheme to reduce the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt for teachers, to include teachers who commit to teaching in rural and remote Australia not just very remote Australia.
The current initiative that either waivers the indexation on accumulated HELP debt or reduces the accumulated HELP debt for teachers who commit to working in very remote areas of Australia is appreciated. This initiative must be extended to teachers who commit to teaching in rural and remote areas as well to assist in the current issues around recruitment and retention of teachers in rural and remote Australia.
Incentives like this measure would go a long way to encouraging teachers to consider teaching in these areas and must include teachers who are teaching in early childhood education, preschool, primary and secondary schooling.
