Coronavirus Australia: Federal, Victorian education ministers’ class war over schools

Victorian Education Minister ‘understands’ why fast-tracked funds to get private schools back to campus could be seen as ‘bribery’.

Victorian Deputy Premier James Merlino. Picture: Erik Anderson/AAP

A $3.2 billion funding incentive to encourage non-government schools to reopen classrooms has sparked divisions within the independent sector and inflamed tensions between private and public schools.

The independent schools lobby in Victoria has accused the government of placing more than 200 schools under “unfair political pressure”, following an offer from federal Education Minister Dan Tehan on Tuesday to bring forward funding should they commit to bringing students back on campus within a month.

While the Independent Schools Council of Australia welcomed the plan, which came in response to school concerns over the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic, the Victorian arm said schools were now in “an extraordinarily difficult and unfair position” having to choose between financial relief and complying with the state’s directive to offer remote learning for term two.

Both Victoria and Queensland have yet to commit to a timeline to returning students to school. In South Australia, all government schools except for a handful of tiny schools in remote indigenous communities, while NSW is working towards a staged reopening in coming weeks.

“Independent schools are being used as a wedge in a policy disagreement between the Federal and Victorian governments, “ said Independent Schools Victoria chief Michelle Green.

“This is unfair and entirely inappropriate when what’s at stake is the health of children and their teachers. The students and teachers at independent schools are being pitted against their government counterparts.”

The criticism came as a group of elite Victorian Catholic schools operating under the Edmund Rice banner backed the state over the matter, revealing that it supported the “guidance and advice” of the state government.

However the EREA, whose schools include St Kevin’s College in Toorak and Christian Brothers College in St Kilda, did not rule out applying for funding in Victoria, saying it had yet to make a decision.

It is hoping that an agreement regarding school safety can be reached between the federal and state governments.

EREA executive director Dr Wayne Tinsey said the leadership shown by federal and state politicians, acting as the National Cabinet, working closely together over the past couple of months, had been “deeply appreciated”.

"We look forward to this bipartisan leadership continuing in the future to help get us to the other side of COVID-19, especially around the vital issue of the education of our young people,'' Dr Tinsey said.

Independent schools contacted by The Australian said they were still considering their options in regards to whether they would apply to access 25 per cent of their total annual funding to be brought forward to May and June.

However, sources pointed out that attempting to reopen schools in Victoria ahead of state endorsement would be challenging. Staff, particularly older staff, would have be comfortable with the health and safety aspects, as would parents. Plus transport to and from school would have to be a consideration, given many private secondary students use public transport.

Victoria has already faced pressure from Ecumenical Schools Australia, which has 19 mostly regional-based private schools, which had been seeking discretion to consider reopening campuses. Many of those schools are operating in areas with just a handful of reported COVID-19 cases, with some not reporting new cases in weeks.

Independent Schools Queensland welcomed the offer to bring forward funding but said the conditions attached put independent schools in a difficult position.

ISQ executive director David Robertson said the offer had not accounted for the legal obligations of independent schools in Queensland, “which include Public Health Directives, Workplace Health and Safety laws and the common law duty of care that independent schools must comply with”.

Mr Robertson said ISQ advised its member schools to follow the advice of the Queensland Government and health authorities within the context of their community needs and position.