How tutoring for one in five Victorian students will work
More than 4000 tutors will be hired to help catch up 200,000 Victorian students who fell behind during remote learning. Here’s how the $250m project will work.
Education
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One in five Victorian children who fell behind during remote learning will be brought back up to speed in a mass tutors hiring drive.
Schools will be able to pick their favourite former teachers or relief staff as the state government hires 4100 tutors in a $250 million project.
Before and after school tutoring will be on the cards in 2021, as well as in-class assistance.
Sessions will only be run on school grounds, and not permitted at students’ homes, despite all tutors having to be a registered or pre-service teacher and have working with children permits.
Schools will have the power to select their own tutors, either through past relationships with retired staff, with relief teaching agencies or through the government’s new tutor register.
Teachers on leave would also be asked back to help out.
Footscray City Primary principal Jessie Hand said the news was “very exciting” and would “give us the opportunity to provide additional resources”.
Those that struggled most with remote learning included kids already at risk of disengaging, who had unsupportive home environments or low levels of English.
Catholic Education Commission of Victoria executive director Jim Miles said there had been “significant variability” in how students went with remote learning and family challenges and disadvantage were often tied to that.
He labelled the tutors drive as a “constructive and welcome initiative”.
But there were concerns over where the government was going to find more than 4000 educators.
Hundreds of international casual teachers returned home amid the pandemic and there were questions whether retired staff would want to return.
Fears of a teacher shortage had already been flagged as relief staff sought other work when remote learning limited the positions available in schools.
Australian Principals Federation president Julie Podbury said some schools would rely more heavily on the tutoring program than others.
“I know there are some schools where 80 per cent of kids have fallen behind, and in others, no kids have fallen behind,” she said.
“There will be some schools absolutely desperate to get these people in.”
Public schools are expected to hire 3500 tutors while independent and Catholic campuses will share 600 staff.