‘No reason’ for students in year eight to ten to still being remote learning
While a majority of students are back in the classroom, education experts say students in years eight to ten have been forgotten and need to get back into the classroom “as soon as possible”.
Education
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Year eight to 10 students from Melbourne should be back at school as there’s no reason for them to be learning from home, school leaders and parents say.
More than 163,000 students in metropolitan areas are still remote learning. The majority are students from eight to ten, who are not due back on campus until October 26.
This is two weeks after most other metro students returned to face-to-face learning.
Julie Podbury, president of the Australian Principals’ Federation, said students should be back at school “as soon as possible”.
“It is not fair for eight to tens to still be at home. There is nothing biologically unique about this age group to make it any less safe for them to be at school, than all the other students,” she said.
“Let’s get them back as soon as is possible. I suggest next Monday at the latest.”
Professor Helen Cahill from the University of Melbourne said students in years eight to ten “understand why they have to wait for their turn”. But she said that once they get back to class they “will be better off”.
A Department of Education spokeswoman said the staggered return of year eight to ten students was based on the advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer.
“It allows schools to work together with parents to support the safe return of students to on site learning and adjust their measures to reduce any risks,” she said.
One school has closed this week since students returned to campus. Nazareth College in Noble Park had a year 12 student who sat the GAT who tested positive for the coronavirus. The school has since reopened.
Balwyn mother-of-three Vikki Bogdanovski can’t wait for her daughter Kristy, 14, who is in year 9 at Ruyton Girls’ School, to be back on campus.
Kristy’s sisters, Erica, 6, and April, 11, are already back at Sacred Heart Primary in Kew and Ruyton.
“Kristy is watching them go and then is stuck here staring at the same four walls with the same routine,” Ms Bogdanovksi, a building designer who runs Landmarc Developments and Cheapa Bathrooms, said.
“She’s fairly driven and the school’s been great, but she’s reached the stage where she’s not learning anything new.”
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