The Federal Government has announced a total of $425 million in funding for a Great Teachers Program to reward the nation’s top 25,000 teachers.

 

The funding will mean that an estimated one in every ten teachers will  receive up to $8,100 as a reward for excellence. In a press release, the Prime Minister’s office said  that the funding will be divided up according to experience, providing $8,100 for those with most experience and around $5,400 for a teacher in the first few years of their career.

 

The funding is due to be phased in  early in 2014 and will be allocated in accordance to performance results of 2013.

 

Criteria to determine eligibility for the pay rewards will include:

  • Lesson observations;
  • Student performance data (including NAPLAN and school based information that can show the valued added by particular teachers);
  • Parental feedback;
  • Teacher qualifications and professional development undertaken.