Victorians want school back as data show parents spend hours home-schooling
Just how much time parents are spending teaching their children at home has been revealed – and it’s no wonder three in five Victorians want students to return to school by the end of May.
VIC News
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“Mum” has nudged out educators as the main teacher as parents struggle to cope with home learning.
New data reveals 85 per cent of primary parents are spending at least a couple of hours a day supporting their child’s at-home education and of that figure, 30 per cent are dedicating the “whole day”.
It comes as three in five Victorians want students to return to school by the end of May, according to a YouGov poll for the Herald Sun.
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The survey of more than 1000 Victorians showed the support for on-site learning increased with age, with about 40 per cent of those aged 18-24 wanting a return along with almost 70 per cent of people aged 65+.
A Kids News survey of more than 1500 students found Mum had most commonly replaced the teacher as the main person helping with lessons, followed by Dad, another family member and a grandparent.
Victoria has ruled that students learn from home for term 2, despite some other states returning to schools.
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said he was “always thinking about schools”, while Education Minister James Merlino confirmed the government was considering a staggered return.
Victorian parents Dave Longmuir and Amelia Teng spend up to six hours a day helping their three children with school work.
The pair take shifts assisting the kids and are sometimes working until 10pm to get their own work done.
“Either work or school wins at the moment — it’s just a question of your priorities,” Mr Longmuir said.
Data from education platform Cluey Learning showed more than one in five parents did not feel equipped to teach their child basic literacy and numeracy skills.
Cluey’s chief learning officer, Dr Selina Samuels, said it was important to understand the impact of so many children learning at home.
“Parents are clearly developing new insight into what their children are doing at school and how their children learn, and an unexpected positive of this situation may well be a greater partnership between parents and teachers.”
It comes as Victoria’s Australian Education Union outlined its principles for returning to school in a letter sent to members on Monday.
It called for access to COVID-19 testing; limitations on gatherings of staff, students and parents; and provisions for personal protective equipment, hygiene products and extra cleaning.
Mr Merlino told the Herald Sun that school staff had been provided a range of support, including “additional cleaning in schools, supplies of soap and hand sanitiser and PPE”.
“Our teachers are showing extraordinary dedication as they keep Victorian students engaged, learning and supported during this pandemic,” he said.
Australian Primary Principals Association president Malcolm Elliott said teachers and parents needed better insight into how schools would be able to provide a safe and secure learning space.
“We now have got the big risk in Australia of not being able to address the needs of those children most significantly disadvantaged when every child probably has experienced some level of disadvantage,” he said.
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