This is the best summary I could come up with:

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.

She pointed to teaching degree fees and the burden of unpaid placements placing pressure on students amid a cost of living crisis.

Last week, the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, announced students enrolled to become secondary school teachers would have their degrees paid by the state government, in an effort to fill “crippling” staff shortages in the sector.

Data from the Department of Education, Skills and Employment found across Australia annual commencements in ITE dropped by 8% between 2017 and 2020 and completions fell by 17%.

Former teacher and head of tutoring company Clever Cookie Academy, Peita Mages, said her top students were “not looking to teaching” after experiencing the workforce shortages first-hand.

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