A win: Devenish Primary School parents celebrate after education department accepts enrolment

Devenish Primary School parents have celebrated a big win after their kids were turned away from school. Find out what it was.

Students at a central Victorian primary school are hoping they’ll be back at school within a couple of weeks after a lack of teachers closed the school.

The Department of Education has accepted the enrollment forms of students at Devenish Primary School after the parents protested this week.

Jenny Binion, whose daughter Lilly was slated to start year four at Devenish Primary School last week, met with the education officer of the region Karen Mahoney in the Benalla office today after being ignored at the Wodonga office earlier this week.

Victorian educaiton department regional director Karen Mahoney, along with senior education improvement leader Albert Freijah, accepted the enrolment forms of the primary school students.

“They have accepted our enrolments and are going to advertise for staff and open the school when that process is completed,” Ms Binion said.

“They said it could take a few weeks, but they will let us know.”

Jenny Bunion and Chris Gregory, parents at Devenish Primary School, wait for the education department to open their door.

It comes after the students were turned away from the first day of school due to a lack of teachers.

Ms Binion and another parent, Chris Gregory, drove to Wodonga on Wednesday to protest the school’s closure but came across a locked office.

“I am really cross. We drove up here to see the regional head to bring our enrolment forms for someone to accept it for these children and they are not even answering the door,” she said.

Ms Binion and Mr Gregory waited outside the entrance of the Department of Education and Training in Wodonga for more than 45 minutes.

“We couldn't give the enrolment forms to anyone in Devenish so we decided to come up here and give the forms to the regional director,” Mr Gregory said.

“But when we went to the office at two in the afternoon on a Wednesday, there was no one there — it was locked.”

Inside, the lights and airconditioning appeared to be on.

The department’s website said it was open Monday to Friday until 5pm.

“There’s no staff in the department of education and there’s no staff in the schools,” Ms Binion said.
“They are breaching their duty of care on so many levels here.”

Last month Victorian Education department officials turned away students from attending Devenish Primary School, about 230km north of Melbourne, because no staff were available to teach.

Ms Binion said the closure came as a surprise because they were not notified.
“It’s been two weeks and the children haven't gone to school. They are very sad and they don't understand why they can’t go,” she said.
“It’s a joke.”

The education department was contacted for comment.