Coronavirus: Alarm over Victorian regional learning lag as critics call for ‘nuanced’ school reopenings

Thousands of students in Victorian regions largely untouched by the coronavirus face a further five weeks away from school.

Glen and Carli Springate with their children Wilson and Madeline, both 12, and Lois, 7, near their home in Castlemaine in regional Victoria. Picture: Aaron Francis

Thousands of students in Victorian regions largely untouched by the coronavirus face a further five weeks away from school, sparking calls for a more nuanced approach to easing restrictions.

As Victoria reported a large drop in new case numbers on Monday, health department data revealed that 29 of the state’s 79 municipalities had no active cases of COVID-19, while a further 11 had only one or two active cases.

Ten municipalities — including Benalla, Wangaratta and Northern Grampians — have reported no new cases during the state’s devastating second wave.

Despite this, under the government’s recovery road map outlined on Sunday, schools in regional Victoria will have to wait until October 12 — the second week of term four — before they can resume face-to-face classes.

Only Victorian Certificate of Education and Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning students will be permitted to attend school for the General Achievement Test or other school-based assessments from October 5.

The path back to school for metropolitan Melbourne is less certain, with VCE and VCAL students and Prep to Year 2 children to resume onsite learning from October 12. However years 3 to 10 would return after October 26 only if average case numbers dropped significantly.

The delay has surprised many educators and reignited concerns about the impact of the extended hiatus on students, particularly regional and remote students who, due to geographic, economic and social factors, already lag their metropolitan counterparts in educational outcomes.

More than 630,000 Victorian students attend regional schools, with most sent home to learn remotely from the start of August.

The delay also comes as the state’s rural municipalities called on the Victorian government to start easing stage-three restrictions in communities where COVID-19 was not circulating.

“It is imperative that the government starts to see regional Victoria for what it is: a very large and diverse series of rural and regional areas,” Rural Councils Victoria chairwoman Mary-Ann Brown said. “One size cannot fit all because of the sheer size of the state; it’s more than 1000km from Mildura to Mallacoota.”

A representative on the Southern Grampians Shire, which has no active cases, Ms Brown said a more “nuanced approach” for reopening schools should be considered. “If you look at many of the LGAs in rural areas, there are a few that have zero cases or one or two and that’s been it,” she said.

 

“We’ve got some schools with boarding houses where the boarders are coming from rural areas where there’s also been no cases. It’s been a very been challenging year for school staff and students and their families as well.”

Grace Christian College Wodonga principal Larry Gunn also questioned the broadbrush approach to restrictions.

“Given the low instances of COVID-19 in the area I would be happy to have our kids back today if it were possible,’’ Mr Gunn said.

“Some of our students have thrived but we have got others who we are concerned about, who haven’t done a lot of work at home and who would benefit from being back and part of a bigger group.”

Grattan Institute school education fellow Julie Sonnemann said she was conscious of the adverse impact on disadvantaged students the longer they were away from school but backed the government’s recovery road map because “the sooner we can get to zero cases the less schoolchildren will miss in the long term”.

“Some regional and remote students are further behind in their learning and we know throughout remote schooling that the equity gap has increased,” Ms Sonnemann said. “My position would be that the government should do more to help them catch up when school does resume.”

Castlemaine parents Glen and Carli Springate had been hoping the road map might pave the way for an imminent return to school for Madeline and Wilson, both 12, and Lois, 7. Both parents are working full time at home while overseeing the children’s schooling.

“The eldest two are in Grade 6 and that’s obviously a big, landmark year,” Mrs Springate said.

“They’re naturally nervous about starting high school and they’ve missed all of the transition activities that would normally take place.

“Look, I get it. But it’s disappointing that we have to wait even longer until they can go back.”