Should Australian schools remain open during the COVID-19 epidemic?
Video clip at right: On April 7, 2020, the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, announced that schools in Victoria would predominantly supply distance education during Term 2.
Introduction to the media issue
What they said...'As we act to slow the spread of coronavirus, the message to students and parents of government schools is clear: all children who can learn at home must learn from home - with exceptions only in extremely limited circumstances'
Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, and Victorian Education Minister, James Merlino
'For all of those parents who wish to send their children to school, for an education at the school, those schools will remain open'
Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison
The issue at a glance
As of March 29, 2020, (some weeks before the end of Term 1 in most states) the federal government advised that it was safe to send Australian children to school and that all schools needed to be prepared to accept all students except those who were ill. Schools were expected to reopen after the term break with a mix of distance learning and in-school education, so that all 'essential workers', defined by the prime minister as anyone with a job, would be able to remain in employment.
However, even at this point, there were differences in the manner in which each state and territory was managing schools, with Victoria and the Australia Capital Territory having brought the commencement of the holidays forward.On April 3, 2020, the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews and education minister, James Merlino, announced that other than in 'extremely limited circumstances' all Victorian state school students would be educated remotely from the start of Term 2.
Debate over the form education should take at this difficult time continues.