Parents at “wits’ end’’ over home schooling as students struggle in lockdown

“How is one stupid assignment going to help me with my life?’’ How school shutdowns are damaging our kids’ education and ravaging their mental health.

Parents are at their “wits’ end’’ with home schooling as lockdowns rob some children of six months of classroom learning, federal Education Minister Alan Tudge has warned.

Urging teachers to “get vaccinated tomorrow’’, Mr Tudge called for schools to reopen once 70 per cent of Australian adults have been immunised against Covid-19.

“I’m deeply concerned about kids not wanting to go to school or dropping out altogether because they’ve missed months of learning, in some cases,’’ he told News Corp Australia.

“I’m concerned about the number of teenage girls presenting to the Butterfly Foundation (charity) with eating disorders.

“I’m very worried about child abuse that might be occurring because in some cases school might be the only safe place for a kid.

“Many parents who are at home are also at their wits’ end as well.

“Kids are becoming addicted to their devices because sometimes the only way a parent can do their work is to give a device to their kid (to play with).’’

Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

With a million Australian children in lockdown – including Victorian students who have missed out on 200 days of school – Mr Tudge said schools should only close as a “very last resort’’.

“Teachers should be getting vaccinated tomorrow,’’ he said.

“Based on the Doherty (Institute immunisation) advice, when we hit 70 per cent of the population vaccinated, schools can be open in areas without outbreaks.”

Queensland is the only state that has bumped teachers to the front of the queue for vaccines, while Victoria prioritises teachers who work closely with special needs children, and NSW gives priority jabs to teachers in hot spots.

An angry Australian Education Union federal president Correna Haythorpe said she had been calling on the federal government for months to make teachers, principals and school support staff a priority for Covid-19 vaccines, as essential workers.

She said teachers would be “deeply offended’’ to be told to get a vaccine immediately, when they had to wait with everyone else for a jab.

“Education workers are ready to roll up their sleeves and get a vaccine,’’ she said.

“They have been ready for months. Our members are eager to return to the classroom as soon as possible … but can only return to face-to-face learning when it is safe to do so.’’

Australian Education Union federal president Correna Haythorpe. Picture: Supplied

Mr Tudge said home schooling was tough on “parents trying to work at the same time’’.

He called for clearer lesson plans for parents helping children learn at home.

“There’s too much gobbledygook language in education,’’ he said.

“It’s not necessary, it’s confusing to parents and we should be using simple language that parents, teachers and others can understand.’’

The Smith Family, a charity that sponsors 58,000 school students from disadvantaged families, warned that many children do not have digital devices or internet to study at home.

“Disadvantaged kids are already behind in their learning and our big fear is that lockdowns will exacerbate the existing gap,’’ The Smith Family’s head of policy and programs, Wendy Field, said.

“One in five of the families we help on low incomes do not have a device connected to the internet.’’

Wendy Field, The Smith Family head of policy and programs

Ms Field said some children from migrant households had to help their siblings with home schooling, while others were in lockdown caring for disabled parents.

“The longer the lockdown goes, the more worried we get,’’ she said.

A survey by online tutoring service Cluey Learning found that 60 per cent of Year 12 students fear the disruption from Covid-19 lockdowns will lower their tertiary entrance scores.

Six out of 10 students said they studied less at home, compared to learning in the classroom.

News Corp Australia’s series, Lockdowns: The Real Cost, has exposed the toll Covid-19 closures are having on children’s mental health, as cooped-up kids suffer unprecedented rates of anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

A Mission Australia survey of 25,000 teenagers aged 15 to 19 has exposed widespread distress over school closures, as teens struggle to learn at home alone.

And a Unicef Australia survey of parents found that two-thirds would vaccinate their children immediately if they could, and that half want their children to continue attend classrooms during lockdowns.

Originally published as Parents at “wits’ end’’ over home schooling as students struggle in lockdown