MP blasts government’s decision to keep Years 2-10 home

A Federal MP has taken aim at the State Government for letting down students not yet allowed to return to classrooms, calling them “second class students”.

A FEDERAL MP has slammed the Queensland Government for treating children in years 2-10 as “second class students”.

Federal member for Bowman Andrew Laming said holding off the return to classrooms for students in years 2-10 was not fair for their education when expert health advice that children “aren’t super spreaders”.

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It follows news students in Kindergarten, Prep and Years 1, 11 and 12 would return to school Monday, May 11 while other year levels would continue home education until at least May 25.

“Why are years 2-10 second class students?” Mr Laming said.

“I’m delighted that (other students) are going back to school, I’m just devastated children in years 2-10 are not.

Andrew Laming says students who are not back at school yet are being treated like second-class students. Picture: Gary Ramage

“(Schools) should abide by and adhere to the same obligations that a parent… they are obliged to take their kids to school.”

Education Queensland explained there were specific reasons these cohorts had been chosen to return to school first.

“These year levels have been chosen for a number of reasons,” the department’s website explains.

“Research clearly shows that the early years of schooling is when the building blocks for learning occurs.

“By allowing our young children to return to Kindy, Prep and Year 1 we can continue to provide them with the teaching and learning that enables them to grow into capable and confident young people.

“We also know that the senior years of schooling are important as young adults make decisions about the pathways they will take after school.”

They said children of essential workers and vulnerable children from other year levels would continue attending schools.

Mr Laming's comments come as part of a battle to ensure the children of essential workers faced no issues attending school, claiming the government had waged a “war on working mums”.

He said streams of parents had contacted him worried they could not work while their children were at home.

“Essential business… can be (done while working) from home,” Mr Laming said.

“I was inundated with desperate parents from many schools… (from) Ormiston, Wynnum, Bracken Ridge.

“Schools are sending out threatening or at the very best pleading not to send kids to school.”

He alleged a school in Carbrook asked children to raise their hands to show whether their parent was working from home.

“They are pointed questions to out mothers that work from home.”

“It’s a war against working mums.”

He urged parents working in essential services to speak up.

“Any child of an essential… needs to point out that their work is essential”.

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