2010 Pearl Duncan scholarship holder David Gray
More Indigenous children are staying on at school longer, recent Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show.
Indigenous student retention for years 7 to 12 has increased 10 percentage points — to 45 per cent — in the past decade.
Aspiring teacher David Gray believes a more diverse teaching workforce will go a long way to further improve attendance.
The 2009 captain of Woodridge State High, south of Brisbane, is at Griffith University studying a Bachelor of Exercise Science to become a physical education teacher, aided by an Education Queensland Pearl Duncan teaching scholarship.
Pearl Duncan was Australia’s first tertiary-trained Indigenous teacher.
With good grades, David is guaranteed a job at a Queensland state school once he completes the degree.
"Woodridge High is one of the most culturally diverse schools in Queensland and it was important for me to be able to identify with a teacher. That’s what works for kids: having teachers who come from different backgrounds, with different takes on life, who can relate to students and support and inspire them," David says.
David also benefited from the Leroy Loggins Basketball Academy run at the school since 2007. As part of that program, he rubbed shoulders with the academy’s namesake, basketball legend Leapin’ Leroy Loggins and footballer-turned-boxing champ Anthony Mundine, further inspiring David’s dreams.
About Pearl Duncan Teaching Scholarships
- Close mid-October
- Open to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander school leavers, post-graduate students and non-teaching employees of Department of Education and Training who want to study teaching full-time
- Mature students welcome
- Find out more by calling 07 3237 0698 or online at the Education Queensland website.
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