Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Chapman, Dr Annie Fogarty AM, Hayley Laing, Jonelle Lorantas, Belinda Tomlins, Professor Caroline Mansfield, Ms Meredith Hammat MLA, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education.
Since 2003, the Fogarty Foundation has supported more than 100 scholarships for teachers undertaking postgraduate studies at Edith Cowan University (ECU) that specialise in Learning Difficulties or Special Education.
A special event was held at The Claremont Hotel, where ECU Fogarty Scholars, past and present, came together to celebrate, as three more current students were awarded a prestigious Fogarty Foundation Scholarship – bringing the total to 102 to date!
"Our 20-year partnership and the Fogarty Foundation's commitment to the future of teaching is truly appreciated, not only by me personally but throughout our entire Education cohort," ECU Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Chapman CBE said of the milestone.
"Your support will have a lasting effect on both the local and broader community, inspiring and influencing education for generations to come," Professor Chapman said.
Two of the three recipients for Semester One 2023 were Hayley Laing and Belinda Tomlins, both of whom are completing a Master of Education, specialising in Learning Difficulties.
Taking the list of Fogarty Foundation scholarship recipients to 100 was Jonelle Lorantas, who began her teaching journey while on a gap year teaching English at a village in Pakistan.
"I speak for all of us when saying we are very honoured to be the three students selected as scholarship recipients," Jonelle said.
"Upon my return to Australia, I completed a Graduate Diploma of Education (Primary) at ECU and was able to do both practicums at Mundaring Primary School, where I was subsequently employed. The sense of community that I felt in Pakistan, I was lucky enough to find again."
Jonelle has since completed a Master of Education (Educational Leadership) and is adding to her postgraduate qualifications with a Graduate Certificate of Education (Learning Difficulties).
Through applying her specialist studies in Learning Difficulties to the classroom, she is already seeing fantastic gains in student achievement, especially for children with specific learning disorders.
Enduring advocate for education
The Fogarty Foundation is the longest-standing donor of an ECU scholarship.
The Fogarty Foundation provides a number of $5,000 scholarships each year, to support students enrolled in and completing a postgraduate Certificate or Master of Education, specialising in either Learning Difficulties or Special Education.
The scholarships enable teachers to upgrade their qualifications and build a specialised skill set they can bring to the classroom. Fogarty Scholars join an esteemed cohort who continue to support and learn from one another during and after completing their degrees.
Chairperson of the Foundation, Dr Annie Fogarty AM said: "we support education because we know that it is the best avenue for helping individuals to achieve their potential and lead purposeful lives.
"And we support scholarships in particular, because through helping people to achieve their goals, they will go on to be good contributors to our society and better teachers," Dr Fogarty explained.
Supporting tomorrow's teachers
ECU Executive Dean of the School of Education Professor Caroline Mansfield said it is not just the world-class education that puts ECU at the top of the list for aspiring teachers in Australia, it's also the social and financial support that is on offer.
ECU has also launched the Future Teachers Fund (FTF), which will see $5,000 scholarships awarded to Education students most in need of financial help to get through their final year full-time professional experience placement.
"Out of 800 final year education students that graduate with Edith Cowan University each year, more than 220 report being negatively impacted by their financial circumstances in their final year of study (2021 National Student Experience Survey)," Professor Mansfield said.
"Every donation will truly make a difference for our future teachers and will be a big step forward in answering the call for more qualified teachers needed in classrooms," she said.
Want to know more?
- You can support the ECU Future Teachers Fund by heading to the website to make a donation.
- Find out more about ECU's Fogarty Foundation Scholarships on the ECU Scholarship website.
- Want to become the teacher they will always remember? Discover Teacher Education courses at ECU.
