Students encouraged to wear masks, take RATs amid Covid spike

School students will be encouraged to wear masks and given more free rapid antigen tests as NSW Education officials try to stem the spread of Covid in classrooms during winter.

Teacher sick days have spiked by 30 per cent this winter as NSW Education officials reintroduce Covid-19 precautions in classrooms.

As cases of the virus rise again in NSW, Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said on Tuesday a ‘four week blitz’ was set for the remaining winter weeks as schools returned for the first day of Term 3 today.

Mask wearing will be encouraged and more rapid antigen tests will be distributed to families, she said.

“We do need to be very clear with our school communities that we are still dealing with Covid in our community, and of course we see that impact in our schools. So from today, a lot of the measures that we’ll be having in place throughout this term, are very similar to what we had in turn two,” Ms Mitchell said at a press conference.

“We’re encouraging mask wearing when you’re indoors when you can’t socially distance and we’re also doing another distribution of rapid antigen tests out to our school communities, so every parent should keep an eye out for that allocation. There’ll be five per student being provided to school. We are asking parents to be vigilant. Please keep your children at home if they’re sick. Please use the rapid antigen tests.

School students are being encouraged to wear masks and will receive more free rapid antigen tests. Picture: Achmad Ibrahim

Ms Mitchell added that teacher absences due to illness had spiked.

“We’ve got a 30 per cent increase of sick days from our staff in the system compared to previous years,” she said.

While Victorian private schools are already asking students to wear masks on campus, Ms Mitchell says she anticipates private school measures will remain aligned with the other sectors.

“It’s up to individual private schools here in terms of the measures that they put in place, but we’re certainly talking to both the heads of the Catholic and the independent schools,” she said.

“We generally have been pretty consistent with how we’ve approached Covid in our school communities.

“I would expect consistency, but obviously, particularly individual private schools, they can make their own judgments and their own determinations about what they do in their school community as individual schools and that’s ultimately a matter for them.”

Masks won’t be compulsory but encouraged. Picture: James Gourley

Education and Early Learning Minister Sarah Mitchell. Picture: James Gourley

Secretary for The Department of Education Georgina Harrison echoed the Minister’s call to parents to be proactive during this period.

“Please let your school know if someone in your household has Covid. Your child can still attend school but they will be required to wear a mask if they are a household contact,” she said.

“Please be patient and follow their communications from your school.”

Ms Harrison revealed NSW schools had logged an additional 150,000 total sick days compared to 2019.

It comes as Ms Mitchell welcomed students returning to school as well as the state’s first cohort of mid-career teaching para-professionals.

More rapid antigen tests will also be handed out. Picture: Nicholas Eagar

Twenty eight experienced industry specialists on Tuesday begin working in NSW public schools as they finish their study to receive teaching qualifications.

The program aims to attract new teaching staff and meet the high demand for educators in NSW, particularly for STEM subjects.

“We’ve gone out to people and particularly the focus has been in the STEM industry and in STEM subjects, people who have undergraduate degrees in those science technology, mathematics disciplines and we’ve been putting them through a six month intensive study course and in this term, they’re starting in the classroom,” Ms Mitchell said.

Schools will welcome an additional 3000 teachers through out the year, likely those specialising in mathematics, science and Technology and Applied studies.

It comes as children head back to school this week. Picture: Ross Swanborough

Former chemical engineer Mr Fadzil Bin Abdul Rahman is among the group of mid-career teachers walking through school gates on Tuesday, taking up his role at North Sydney Boys High School.

“I have to say that it has been quite encouraging. The participants in this program has been very supportive in the sense that it’s not really easy to come back to studying after a lengthy spell away,” he said.

Mr Rahman said despite recent teacher strikes, he has not been deterred from his new role and has focused on his study. Mr Rahman also said he is not concerned about Covid heading into the classroom.

The Minister also said “the right measures” will be put in place to support those in NSW affected by the recent floods or who have experienced illness and misadventure due to Covid.

“I’ve had some discussions already with Paul Martin, the head of NESA about what considerations may need to be put in place for those students,” she said.

“I was up in the Northern Rivers earlier this year meeting with a group of 12 students, particularly those who have had major works of art design and technology projects literally washed away in the flood, making sure that there’s a fair and reasonable process for them. I know that Paul Martin has also been up and spoken to those students.”