New Ekka holiday falls in middle of Yr 12 exams

The new Ekka Show Day holiday is set to clash with Year 12 exams, in a move labelled as ‘ridiculous’ and unfair to students who have already had a challenging year.

October’s new Ekka Show Day public holiday is set to clash with Year 12 exams, with the state’s assessment authority seemingly caught off-guard by the surprise announcement.

Furious parents and teachers have also expressed their frustration at the perceived lack of planning, after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Tuesday the holiday would be moved to Friday, October 29th.

Despite Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe urging families to “get out and experience everything Queensland has to offer”, for thousands of families the Friday holiday will fall at the end of the week of the first block of external exams.

Health, Economics, and Music exams were currently scheduled for that day by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority.

The Ekka public holiday has been moved to October 29th, the Friday of the first week of Year 12 exams. Image/AAP Sarah Marshall

In a message to schools, QCAA chief executive Chris Rider yesterday acknowledged the announcement of the new public holiday.

“The QCAA is considering the implications of this change and will be in touch shortly with updated advice on the delivery of the exams,” he wrote.

LNP education spokesman Christian Rowan called on Education Minister Grace Grace to urgently address the issue.

“Nowhere in today’s media statement was there any information regarding the arrangements for students who are scheduled to sit for their exams, let alone the teachers who will be required to supervise, on this new public holiday,” he said.

“After all the disruptions students have had to endure so far this year, surely the State Government didn’t forget about these critical exams.

“The Premier’s school exams fail shows the State Government needs an education in proper planning.”

One school insider told The Courier-Mail the new date was “ridiculous”, and could potentially cause significant issues for staff and students.

“As if Year 12 haven’t been through enough this year?” he said.

“Did the Government think this through at all?”

People also took to Ms Grace’s social media page to express their disappointment with the date, commenting on a post celebrating the new holiday.

Education Minister Grace Grace. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

“Not for Year 12 students, their families and school staff - they will have exams on that day,” one posted.

“How could you not have thought of this – or is the QCAA changing their timetable?”

Another wrote “why in the middle of the external exams – surely the weekend before on the 22 Oct would have been a better option.”

They went on to say the exam schedule was “tight as it is”, and to lose a day would out “more pressure on these kids – no thought into this at all”.

“Looks like teachers and Yr 12 students miss out,” another wrote.