Page 2774 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 6 October 2021
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us. But, as I say, because disability support workers often provide services in a person’s residential premises, this does present significant challenges in crafting a direction in this regard.
Schools—COVID-19
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Education and Youth Affairs. Minister, on 14 September your government stated—and I quote from the ACT Education Directorate website—that:
Year 12 students will return to on-campus learning from the start of term four (Tuesday 5 October). This is a critical time for year 12 students, who are completing their final weeks of school and final exams and assessments.
We have received several representations that year 12 students did not return to on-campus learning on Tuesday, 5 October but will, in fact, be forced to continue with remote learning for at least a further two weeks. Minister, did year 12 students return to on-campus learning on the date promised or will they be required to continue remote learning for several weeks to come?
MS BERRY: I thank Mr Hanson for the question. Yes, as we had indicated earlier around the return to face-to-face education for some year 12 students that that was about making sure they could do their assessments that were practical assessments that they needed to do in front of a teacher or at class, and they were able to return to college, as well as year 12 students who had been invited back by their schools to prepare for their AST or other exams next week on 12 and 13 October. So that has been the case, and a number of colleges have gotten in touch with their students to understand what those sorts of assessments were, what couldn’t be done remotely and what students needed to go to college to do.
So some students, like the rest of the students in the ACT, will need to continue with remote education for the time being, But the year 11 and 12 students who are doing their assessments are able to return to face-to-face education, but that will be a different case for each college, and each college will have been in contact with those individuals and their families.
MR HANSON: Minister, how many students will be required to continue with remote education?
MS BERRY: I do not have the answer to that. I understand there were some students, for example, at Lake Ginninderra College at Belconnen who went to school to attend their outdoor sports activities—to do rock climbing or abseiling—and that was part of their assessment as part of that that course. I do not know how many students attended that, but those are the kinds of assessment that some year 12 students were doing beyond and outside of their AST exams or International Baccalaureate exams—or their HSC exams, as is the case in some of our non-government schools.
MRS JONES: Minister, why does the education department website still state that on-campus learning commences on Tuesday, 5 October? Can you imagine how
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