Reopening schools a milestone

The return of about four million students to their classrooms in all states and territories is a vital step in Australia’s return to full strength, as the COVID-19 pandemic eases. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who previously had announced schools would remain closed for the rest of this term, had no alternative on Tuesday but to announce a resumption of classroom teaching from May 26. Victoria is last cab off the rank and anything else would have been a further breach of the advice of health experts. Students are back already in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia, and some are back in Queensland and NSW. Remaining out of step with the rest of Australia would have undermined Victoria’s recovery. It also would have hurt students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds for whom home learning has been problematic. For most, digital technology has been a lifeline, which was not the case during the US polio epidemic last century when research showed school closures damaged young people’s prospects. For returning students, the first half of this year is a time they will not forget.

Schools reopening should boost communities’ morale as part of what Scott Morrison describes as getting out from under the doona. It will add nearly $2.2bn to the economy, Josh Frydenberg told parliament on Tuesday. A week ago, Treasury analysis presented to the national cabinet showed classroom closures had led to more than 300,000 job losses and sliced 3 per cent from gross domestic product. Those losses, arguably, were avoidable. From the outset of the coronavirus crisis, the Prime Minister, armed with the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, has been consistent in maintaining that schools should be open. COVID-19, as Mr Morrison noted, has a very low rate of transmission between children.

State and territory leaders and teachers’ unions have been more cautious, especially Mr Andrews. Most parents, bombarded with conflicting advice, played it safe and kept their children at home. But as the economy opens up, the gradual return of classes, to be completed within a couple of weeks, will free parents to concentrate on their jobs at home, to return to their workplaces as conditions allow and, in some cases, to look for work as economic activity gathers pace.

In terms of learning, Education Minister Dan Tehan says the evidence is clear that nearly half of Australian children and young people are at risk of adverse effects on their educational outcomes by being physically disconnected from school. If online delivery were to continue for much longer, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, those with complex learning needs, those with disabilities and indigenous students would lose valuable ground in numeracy and reading. These are the essential building blocks of further educational attainment and an important determinant of students’ job prospects.

Given the disparate assessment and tertiary entrance systems across the nation, most states and territories are adjusting coursework for the rest of the year to give Year 12 students certainty after weeks of disruption. Mr Tehan, keen to encourage private schools to reopen, offered financial incentives for them to do so. And a network of Victorian private schools, in a challenge to Mr Andrews, demanded the discretion to reopen in regions largely unaffected by COVID-19. Now the confusion is over. New clusters of the virus here and overseas are a reminder of the need for caution. The measures outlined by Mr Andrews — staggered drop-off systems and breaks, physical distancing for adults and extra cleaning — are good precautions. And the COVIDSafe app will help alert communities of any outbreaks.