Parents and students have endured another day of confusion and frustration as some schools opened and politicians insisted it was safe to attend during the coronavirus pandemic.
Victorian parents complained of network outages and crashes as students in that state officially started term two through online learning on Wednesday.
Premier Daniel Andrews acknowledged “some bumps” on the first day.
“There’ll be challenges. We’ve never had day one of term two look like this before,” he said.
“Every Victorian government school is open today and for those who can’t learn at home, that is an option.”
Tweet from @leighsales
Students and parents logging in for the new term reported school websites and online learning portal Compass crashing in the first hour of the day.
Caroline Hamilton, who has three school-aged daughters, said there had been a few early “hiccups”.
“The teenagers are actually doing all right with theirs, they’ve been able to get into Compass but a lot of their friends haven’t been able to, and the little one, her primary school’s Compass has completely crashed,” Ms Hamilton told the ABC.
“She has been quite frustrated trying to get online but she is soldiering on as best she can.”
Elsewhere, federal Education Minister Dan Tehan rejected suggestions of mixed messages about sending children to school during the pandemic.
But less than 24 hours before his own children were due to start on Thursday, he wasn’t sure if they would attend.
“I’ll be continuing to have discussions with them about that. We’ll wait and see what happens,” he said.
The Victorian MP denied the indecision highlighted parents’ confusion.
“I think it’s safe for children to be at school,” he said.
“But obviously in Victoria they’re saying if you can learn at home, that’s their preference. I’ll have a discussion and see if they want to go to school.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison released a social media video, pleading with teachers to keep classrooms open.
“The education of our children hangs in the balance,” he said.
Thank you to all our heroes on the frontline of our fight against the coronavirus, but especially our teachers. You do an incredible job educating our kids. During these tough times, your role has never been more important.
Posted by Scott Morrison (ScoMo) on Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Mr Morrison said open schools were important for children who could not learn at home, such as those whose parents are essential workers.
“We will lose many things in the course of fighting this virus,” he said.
“One thing that I know teachers are united on, with their parents, is we do not want one of those things to be the loss of a child’s education, giving up a whole year of their learning.”
Mr Andrews rejected the idea of conflicting messages, saying there was “no difference in our approach” between the state and federal governments.
He said the message across the country was “stay at home, learn from home if you can. If, however, your circumstances mean that you can’t, school will be open for you”.
But Labor’s education spokesperson Tanya Plibersek accused Mr Morrison of contradicting state and territory leaders.
“Parents just want clear information. So do teachers. This mess must be cleaned up immediately,” she said.
Political leaders will discuss the future of schools and how to protect teachers from the coronavirus when national cabinet meets on Thursday.
Classrooms across the country are moving towards remote learning as a result of coronavirus.
The situation in other states:
ACT: Term two starts April 28. Online learning for most students, schools will be open for the children of essential workers.
Northern Territory: Starts April 20. Students expected to attend, unless the school has specifically been informed of their absence
NSW: Starts April 27. Premier Gladys Berejiklian is keen to see an increase in face-to-face teaching during the term.
Queensland: Starts April 20. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said schools would be open for children of essential workers and vulnerable students. The state will review its advice on schools by May 15.
South Australia: Starts April 27. Schools, preschools and early childhood services will remain open but parents can choose to keep children at home.
Tasmania: Starts April 28. Teachers are preparing for online learning, but schools will be open for those who must attend.
Western Australia: Starts April 28. Students have been encouraged to learn from home from late March, and there has been no update for term two.
-with agencies
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