Boree Creek Public School principal Elissa Routley said the best thing was the 25 students in her care.

Her words follow the announcement of a government initiative to bring more teachers to remote country towns and villages. 

The incentive: Free university degrees.

Scholarships will offered in 2018 to fully fund the tertiary courses of 60 new teachers, according to the NSW education MP. 

Ms Routley has worked as a Boree Creek teacher for 19 years and as its principal for three. 

It is a gig she said she wouldn’t trade for the world. 

“The best part about working in a rural area is the (children) themselves,” Ms Routley said. 

“Most of our kids are farm children. They have a good perspective on life and (a set of skills) I think may be lacking in urban areas.”

With two part-time and one full-time teachers in 2014, the east Riverina village was among three schools across the region and 150 across the state, identified as needing more retained staff. 

For graduates who accept a posting at one of these schools, their HECS debt will be paid. 

The new scholarships are available to new and enrolled students, and include $7,500 per year to assist with studies, in addition to a $6,000 “sign on” bonus. 

Ms Routley said no one could know what life was all about until they came to a rural or remote community.

“It’s about more than just day to day going to work,” she said. 

“You get to be immersed in a connected, compassionate, resilient and caring community that’s been through a lot of adversity.”