School closures should be ‘last resort’ amid mental health fears

The Federal Education Minister says some children will never catch up on the schooling they’ve missed, and closures should be a “last resort”.

School closures are having an “enormous mental health impact’’ on children, federal Education Minister Alan Tudge has warned.

Mr Tudge said schools should only be shut as a “very last resort’’.

He said the closure of schools and playgrounds was harming children’s mental health.

And he warned that some children would never catch up academically after long lockdowns with home schooling.

“I’ve got three kids myself at school, including two teenage daughters, and it is having a devastating impact,’’ he told Sky News.

“Melbourne’s now been closed down for almost 200 days, which means that kids have lost close to half a year of face-to-face schooling.

“Some won’t catch up on that schooling.’’

Mr Tudge said the school closures and lockdowns could have “much more serious consequences … including suicide’’.

Eight teenage girls have committed suicide in Victoria in the first seven months of this year – compared to one during the same period last year – statistics from Coroner’s Court reveals.

Mr Tudge said the news of suicide and self-harm among children was “devastating’’.

School closures should be a last resort, Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge says. Picture: Belinda Soole /Getty Images)

As federal Minister, Mr Tudge has no power to decide whether state schools stay open, as state and territory education ministers are responsible for running school systems.

But he called for classrooms to be closed only as a last resort.

“Sometimes we have to close down schools, but it must be done as a very last resort once we’ve fully understood the full cost benefit analysis of doing so,’’ he said.

Children’s charity UNICEF Australia has found that most Australian parents are worried about “learning loss’’ from extended lockdowns.

Its survey of 1000 parents found that home schooling is “clearly a stress’’ on parents.

Two thirds of parents said they would vaccinate their children “tomorrow’’ if they could, to get students back to class.

Mission Australia’s recent survey of 25,000 teenagers found many are struggling with home schooling, complaining that teachers are piling on too much work during lockdowns.

There are growing fears over the impact school closures are having on pupils. Picture: Ryan Young

Senior students were stressed by higher workloads, “with some speculating that teachers and schools assumed that they had more time because they were at home’’, the survey showed.

Many teachers are now being given priority Pfizer vaccinations, after demands from the Australian Education Union to immunise teachers against Covid-19 before kids go back to class.

Secondary School Principals’ Association president Andrew Pierpoint has revealed that schools are worried about kids dropping out of the education system during lockdowns.

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