Coronavirus: School hours slashed for ‘virtual learning’

Students in Victoria wil be required to study for as little as two hours as the state moves to remote learning next week.

According to the Department of Education document, activities for prep to Year 2 students equate to just 1.45 hours to 2.5 hours of schooling. Picture: istock

Victorian primary students will be required to study for as little as two hours a day, while secondary students will have their school day condensed, according to an edict to government schools ahead of the state’s move to remote learning next week.

School principals have been issued with official advice on how to operate schools under the new regimen, including “daily minimum guidelines” for the learning activities to be provided to students at home.

According to the Department of Education document, which has been seen by The Australian, activities for prep to Year 2 students — 45 to 60 minutes for literacy, 30 to 45 minutes for numeracy and 30 to 45 minutes for play-based learning and physical activity — equate to just 1.45 hours to 2.5 hours of schooling.

While for older primary students and secondary students in Years 7 to 10, schools will provide 45 to 60 minutes for literacy, 30 to 45 minutes for numeracy, 30 minutes of physical activity and an additional 90 minutes for additional subjects. The 3.5 to 3.75 hour allocation falls short of a typical six-hour school day.

Victorian schools will be closed to most students for the entirety of term two, while Year 12 exams will pushed back until at least December, under the state’s radical plan to stem the coronavirus spread.

On-site learning supervision will be provided for students whose parents cannot work from home as well as children who are classified as vulnerable, however the learning program will be the same as that delivered to students undertaking remote learning.

The announcement came as federal, state and territory ministers unanimously backed a plan that would enable Year 12 students to graduate and receive an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), despite the pandemic crisis causing significant disruption to the 2020 school year.

“There will be no ‘Year 13’ [of school], no mass repeating,” federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said on Tuesday.

“You will get your leaving certificate this year and you will be able to go on to university, or vocational education and into work.”

Victorian Education Minister James Merlino said schools had been working hard to prepare for remote learning but acknowledged that it would “look different from school to school”.

He said the government would loan more than 6000 laptops and tablets and provide free SIM cards or dongles to students in need.

“We will provide their learning programs through a UBS or good old-fashioned hard copy,” he said.

“But every single student in Victoria will be supported.”

Significant adjustments have also been made to the Year 12 timetable to ensure every student is able to achieve their senior school certificate this year.

VCE final exams will be postponed until at least December, while the mid-year General Achievement Test will be pushed back to October or November.