State government steps in to save SACE Merit ceremony at Government House – and new dates announced

The SACE Merit ceremony at Government House for 1016 high-achieving year 12s has been set for May, after the government stepped in to save it.

More than 1000 year 12 students who received exceptional results in 2021 will finally be acknowledged at the SACE Merit Ceremonies at Government House in May.

The reinstatement of the ceremony comes after community backlash forced the government to step in and work with the SACE Board to reschedule the event.

Two ceremonies will be held, on Thursday, May 19 and Friday, May 20, to mark the outstanding achievements of 1016 students from the class of 2021.

Around 2500 people – students and their supporters – will attend the ceremony to witness 1282 subject merits awarded by Mr Boyer to the students.

Education Minister Blair Boyer said he only discovered the SACE Board had canned the annual celebration of Year 12 high achievers when he was alerted to Advertiser.com.au’s story on the issue – at the same time he was at the Australia Day Council of SA’s awards at Government House on Wednesday evening.

He said that contradiction was one of the reasons why the state government was determined to step in.

“As Education Minister I’ve been very clear and the Premier wants to make it clear it should happen at Government House,” Mr Boyer said.

“There are always solutions to these things.

“It is a rite of passage and they (students) only get one chance at it to get that photo on the lawn of Government House, or they lose that forever.”

Mr Boyer said there was no good reason not to go ahead with the SACE celebration in light of a full crowd being allowed at Adelaide Oval for the football, and other awards ceremonies also being held in-person.

The SACE Board said it would recognise students “in a creative online space”.

The government’s move also comes after Advertiser columnist David Penberthy wrote a scathing column on the cancellation.

“If only these class-topping kids had used their natural intelligence and application to come up with the following Plan B, where they gather, not at Government House, but down the road at the Adelaide Oval wearing AFL jumpers,” he wrote.

“Forget just inviting mum and dad, they could all have been handed their SACE certificates in front of 52,000 screaming fans of excellence in education.”

The ceremony congratulates students who get an overall A+ subject grade and show “exceptional achievement”, with 1016 originally due to receive their awards over nine sessions from February 10–11.

SACE Board chief executive Professor Martin Westwell said he was “delighted” to confirm that face-to-face sessions would be rescheduled.

“We are in the process of confirming new dates and will reissue invitations to the merit recipients very soon,” he said.

“We will work to manage any contingencies around the unpredictable weather for this outdoor event, to ensure the best experiencepossible for students.”

He had earlier said the cancellation, amid rising coronavirus infections, was particularly hard because students had dealt with so many other disruptions.

“Although we will not be able to celebrate their significant achievements together, this decision by no means takes away from their well-deserved triumph,” he said.

“The impact of Covid-19 has continued to push the event further back into the time of year where the weather is very unreliable, and it is not suitable for an outdoor event at Government House.”

Prof Westwell said the cost of an indoor venue was “prohibitive”.

Sacred Heart College principal Steve Byrne. Picture: Supplied.

Sacred Heart College principal Steve Byrne said he was “perplexed” about why the outdoor ceremony could not be rescheduled and hosted in a Covid-safe way.

“We had our graduation ceremony a couple of years ago at Adelaide Entertainment Centre,” he said.

“It seats 12,000 people and we just spread out across the various spaces, but we got it done.”

Mr Byrne said his school was now onto its third date for its own laureate assembly, which recognises students’ achievements – and the merit ceremony at Government House’s gardens should also be rescheduled.

“We have to get these special moments in young people’s lives celebrated and recognised,” he said.

“It’s a really important rite of passage in their schooling for students and their families.”

The mother of one of this year’s merit winners, who asked to remain anonymous because she works for the Education Department, said the cancellation was “really disappointing” amid major relaxations in the state’s social distancing restrictions.

SACE Board chief executive Martin Westwell.

“I understood the postponement, but to get this when we’re opening up – you can go party at a nightclub but you can’t go to a socially distanced merit ceremony?”

“Everything else is moving forward, so why cancel it now?

“The kids want the iconic photo at Government House – they’re sick of sitting behind screens. Is the new normal going to be that we don’t do anything in person, even in a Covid-safe way?”

South Australian Secondary Principals’ Association chief executive Jayne Heath believed that among schools, there was an acceptance that cancelling the ceremony was the right call.

“I know kids get really disappointed … and I understand that and feel deeply for them, however, I certainly understand why the decision has been made,” Ms Heath said.

South Australian Association of School Parent Communities president Jenice Zerna said it was disappointing families could not attend the ceremony.

“At the same time, the health of everyone is the main priority,” she said.

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