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Victorian students have begun term two with some "hiccups", with websites failing as they logged into remote learning platforms being used during the coronavirus pandemic.
Key points:
- Some school websites and learning portals went down as the term began
- State schools will remain open to the children of essential workers and those who cannot learn at home
- The Premier denied there were mixed messages after the Prime Minister urged schools to stay open
The State Government has instructed state schools to move to online learning for term two and told families that if students can stay home, they must do so.
Many independent schools are implementing similar remote learning plans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schools will remain open for the children of essential workers and other students who face difficulties learning at home.
Students and parents logging in for the new term reported school websites and the online learning portal Compass crashing in the first hour of the day.
Caroline Hamilton has three school-aged daughters and said there were a few "hiccups" when they tried to log in during the morning.
"The teenagers are actually doing alright with theirs, they've been able to get into Compass but a lot of their friends haven't been able to," Ms Hamilton said.
"And the little one, her primary school's Compass has completely crashed.
"She has been quite frustrated trying to get online but she is soldiering on as best she can."
She said despite the technical hurdles, she and her daughters were remaining optimistic.
"If my kids end up having to repeat a year, and I don't think they will, that's better than having dead friends and relatives because people have caught the virus. I'm trying to look at it from that point of view," she said.
A Compass spokesman said activity on the portal climbed to six times the previous peak.
"This heightened load caused a partial interruption that affected a small number of schools. Our team managed to scale the platform to meet the excess capacity within 30 minutes and we're seeing the platform now operating in a stable manner under the heightened loads."
The State Government announced last week all of term two would be delivered remotely, and flagged the possibility of online learning continuing into term three.
"There will be some bumps, there will be some challenges, it's never been done before," Premier Daniel Andrews said today.
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The Government promised to provide a laptop or tablet to every child who needs one, as well as dongles for internet access.
Anton Leschen of social welfare agency Smith Family Victoria said a quarter of the 13,000 children on their books had no access to devices or the internet.
"We're really concerned about that and we want to walk beside them and offer all available support, so that kids' education doesn't take a hit," he said.
Premier denies mixed messages on schools
As the school term resumed in Victoria, Prime Minister Scott Morrison released a video message in which he urged teachers not to force parents into a decision between home schooling and "putting food on the table".
Mr Morrison made a direct appeal to teachers to reopen schools after the Easter break, saying "the education of our children hangs in the balance".
Mr Andrews rejected the notion there were 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".
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Shortly before Mr Andrews spoke, Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said there had been "a very consistent message".
"There are obviously different approaches within that in different jurisdictions and states and territories ultimately have the final decision with what happens with their schools in their state or territory," he said.
"But the clear message is for all those parents who are working, and they can't look after their children safely at home, schools are open and your students can attend school. For all those vulnerable children, school's open and you can attend school."
He told parents who had to send their children to school not to feel guilty, saying they were "playing a vital role" in helping Australia deal with the pandemic.
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Opposition says parents 'confused' by whether to send children to school
The Victorian Opposition has called on the State Government to clarify which students can still attend school, saying many parents were confused by learning-from-home rules.
Opposition Education Spokeswoman Cindy McLeish said many parents were unsure about whether their children are allowed to learn on-site.
"Too many mums and dads are telling me that they are really confused," she said.
"They want to access face-to-face learning, they're confused as to who is and who isn't an essential worker and in some instances parents are pleading with schools to let their students turn up."
Mr Andrews said there were some families where it "simply won't be possible" to send their children to schools.
He said "everyone's circumstances are different" so the Government wanted to avoid providing a list of who could and could not send their children to school.
The Premier said "these challenging, but necessary arrangements with schools" were an important part of stabilising Victoria's coronavirus cases.
Education Minister James Merlino yesterday told the ABC parents needed to be patient, but should not become their children's teacher.
"You're not expected to be the teacher of your children, that is the responsibility of their school … teachers will be instructing them on the activities they must undertake and then deliver back to the school," he said.
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