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Posted: 2020-04-09 08:43:31

Updated April 09, 2020 19:02:43

Northern Territory schools have had four days to plan to teach in school and online next term, but the teachers' union says the workload is not sustainable and it will direct members not to cooperate.

Key Points:

  • Northern Territory schools will reopen to students on April 20, with physical attendance encouraged
  • Teachers and schools are being asked to prepare for three different teaching scenarios
  • The teachers' union says it will direct members not to do extra work to accommodate more than one learning mode

The NT Government confirmed again this week that schools would be open next term and said families should plan for all school-aged children to be physically back in the classroom come April 20.

Education Minister Selena Uibo said the decision to keep schools open was based on the current medical advice and the direction from the Federal Government.

But she said exceptions would be made for parents who had informed their school that their child would be learning from home.

"Some families may want to look at home schooling options, which is already available and has always been available," she said.

Hard copy learning packs were being arranged for students staying at home without access to online learning technology.

The minister wrote to teachers on Wednesday night, telling them "education delivery in Term 2 will be determined by the school and tailored to the circumstances of students."

She said that school staff were using the four pupil-free days granted in this last week of term to develop the materials required for term two.

But the push to prepare three different teaching models has drawn heavy criticism from Australian Education Union NT (AEU NT) president Jarvis Ryan, who said the approach was "untenable".

"We're disappointed, we're angry, we don't feel that teachers on the ground are being listened to," he said

"People are making decisions up in a bubble and they are not taking into account the incredible pressures that teachers are under."

Union wants one mode of teaching

Mr Ryan said the union had fought to secure this week's pupil-free days to give teachers "some breathing space" but said "instead what's happened has been a ratcheting up of pressure under multi-model delivery."

"They're being bombarded with paperwork requests from the department about pandemic plans, are you planning for three scenarios, what are you doing about assessments?"

Mr Ryan said the union would advise its members not to perform additional work to cater for students who were at home.

"There will be one mode of teaching and learning — whether it's at school or at home," he said.

How do I get tested in the NT?

  • If you can't contact or get to your GP, but you have the symptoms, you should call 1800 008 002
  • This is a dedicated NT-wide coronavirus (COVID-19) number for people who need to arrange testing only
  • If you live in Darwin and need to arrange testing, call the Public Health Unit on 8922 8044
  • Patients who are tested should remain isolated at home until they receive their test results
  • For general advice, Territorians can call 1800 020 080
Latest information from SecureNT website

The minister acknowledged the volume of work and the pressures on staff but she said the planning required this week was necessary.

"What we don't want a case of is that we get to term two and things change and people feel unprepared," she said.

"We want to make sure we maximise these four days of professional development to allow for that preparedness so that if things do change, that our staff already have the tools to be able to cope with any changes."

What you need to know about coronavirus:

Topics: covid-19, disease-control, infectious-diseases-other, independent-schools, primary-schools, private-schools, public-schools, religious-schools, secondary-schools, education-industry, access-to-education, community-education, distance-education, educational-resources, darwin-0800, tennant-creek-0860, wadeye-0822, nhulunbuy-0880, katherine-0850, alice-springs-0870, nt

First posted April 09, 2020 18:43:31

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