The information in the Weekly Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that is relevant to the education sector across Australia and worldwide. Each paragraph is a summary of the subject matter covered in the particular news article. The information does not necessarily reflect the views of CompliSpace.

AUSTRALIA

Universities Australia apologises to victims as it releases National Student Safety Survey into sexual assault and harassment

ABC News reports that the head of Universities Australia has apologised to student victims of sexual assault and harassment while releasing a damning report into the prevalence of the offences across the sector. The National Student Safety Survey (NSSS), an independent survey conducted by The Social Research Centre, investigated the scale and nature of student experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault across 39 Australian universities. The survey revealed one in six students had been sexually harassed since beginning university and one in 12 had been sexually harassed in the past 12 months. One in 20 students had been sexually assaulted since starting at university and one in 100 had been sexually assaulted in the past 12 months. Universities Australia's Chair John Dewar Dewar thanked those who made submissions to the survey and said widespread cultural change needed to occur. "We know we need to do more, and we will do it. These findings will guide our continuing work."

What teachers and principals think of the Federal Budget 2022

According to an article in The Educator, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced that schools and universities will receive millions in new funding over the next four years. Millions of young Australians stand to benefit from a range of new programs, including a $17m grants programs for Indigenous boarding providers and a new $10.9m regional scholarship program. An additional $62.4m will also be provided to continue support to projects that enable better student educational outcomes through the National School Reform Fund and the Non-Government Reform Support Fund. More than $10m in funding towards an Emerging Priorities Program will assist schools to help students who have been affected by the pandemic and the recent floods. The Budget also included $7m in funding to help schools continue to provide inclusive, respectful school classroom environments, and $6m to support schools in delivering evidence-based and age-appropriate respectful relationship education programs. Mental health was also a key focus of the Budget, with the government announcing $9.7m for new measures to help teachers and school leaders better understand and respond to the mental health and wellbeing needs of students.

The Age Schools Summit – Address, Melbourne Convention Centre, Melbourne

According to a media release from the Acting Minister for Education, the Hon Stuart Robert MP, the Federal Government is providing record school funding for Australian schools in all sectors totalling some $315.2 billion between 2018 and 2029 under the Quality Schools package that the Coalition Government put in place. “The challenge for all governments is to ensure that funding is spent in ways that help improve education outcomes for all students and return us to the leading group of education nations in the world.” Mr Robert said the Government was working to improve school standards by strengthening the national curriculum, enhancing teacher quality, and creating classrooms that are “supportive, engaging and conducive to learning for all students”. He also stated that the Government would be “making an investment of $3.5 million over the next two years to highlight best practice across the country”.

Tips on tackling chaos in the classroom ‘an insult’ to teachers

The Australian reports that angry teachers have blasted the Government’s “insulting and simplistic” plan to give them tips on coping with rowdy classrooms. Acting Education Minister Stuart Robert announced $3.5m in federal funding to develop training materials, including a podcast, to help teachers deal with “harrowing” violence in schools. He said 80 per cent of teachers had been harassed by students or parents in the past year, and 43 per cent of students report noise and disorder in most or all lessons. But Australian Education Union federal president Correna Haythorpe said teachers needed smaller classes and intervention programs to help those students requiring extra support. “Disruptive behaviour can often be an indicator that there is more going on for children,” she said. “In some cases, it’s an indicator a child has additional needs and requires extra support. The reality is that the decline in funding for that extra support in public education has strained existing ­resources and increased the risk of some children being left behind. “There is a deep vein of inequality that exists in education in Australia and that has been highlighted by the pandemic and its impact on teachers and students. “A podcast will never address that inequality. It’s an insulting and simplistic view that this is what teachers need to support the students in their classrooms that have complex behavioural and educational needs.”

Landmark study looks to embed evidence-based mental health support in schools

According to an article in The Educator, according to the World Health Organisation, mental health disorders are one of the main causes of disability during adolescence. In Australia, almost a quarter of young people are psychologically stressed, yet many do not seek help. Compounding this issue is the reality that while there is strong demand among teachers for evidence-based programs to improve students’ mental health, what is available is often quite limited, and of unknown efficacy. To address this, Monash University researchers have designed and launched the first randomised controlled trial to embed Mental Health Literacy in the Australian school curriculum. The research outlines pathways to implementing a mental health literacy and action program, called Youth Education and Support (YES) program, which has demonstrated positive outcomes in the United States. Those heading the research, including PhD candidate Alexandra Marinucci, Dr. Christine Grove, and Dr. Kelly-Ann Allen, say it is not only a first for Australian Schools and for Australian education research, but could be “a future pillar of mental health support for the young”. Marinucci said increasing mental health literacy is a preventative approach that can equip young people with the tools needed to obtain and maintain good mental health, and also reduce stigma that often surrounds mental illness. Marinucci said principals have a major role in championing mental health initiatives within the school environment.

Private school principals launch ‘new vision for Australia’s school system’

According to an article in The Educator, the peak body representing Australia’s private school principals has launched a policy manifesto for school education as the nation prepares to head to the polls. The manifesto, unveiled by the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) today, calls for a strengths-based approach over deficit-model thinking to improve education policymaking. The six strengths-based priority areas outlined in AHISA’s policy manifesto include supporting the digital transformation of Australian education; upskilling the teaching profession; re-establishing and strengthening students’ learning journeys; supporting student wellbeing; strengthening all levels of school leadership and engaging parents in their children’s education.

New Indigenous-led program takes the reins on rethinking education

According to an article in The Educator, a new and innovative partnership program to elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice, leadership and agency in education to improve outcomes for students has been announced. Learning Lives, Strengthened in Culture is a program across six Indigenous-led partner organisations: Aurora Education Foundation, Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation, Culturally Nourishing Schools Project (at UNSW), Gujaga Foundation, the National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition, and the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group. The program, supported by the Paul Ramsay Foundation, embraces Indigenous-led education practices in a dynamic approach to address systemic issues that prevent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ success. Taking a holistic approach, the program aims to support Indigenous-led education projects from early childhood through to high school and pathways into tertiary study, within and beyond the school gate, with funding across program partners. Program evaluation will help to identify and refine a theory of change for long term impact to enhance education outcomes, identifying opportunities to share lessons and contribute to long term change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.

Schools selected randomly for inspection

According to the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), NESA will be conducting random inspections of 26 schools throughout Term 2 and Term 3 to check school compliance. If selected, an Inspector will contact the school at least four days in advance of the inspection. NESA selects a subset of registration requirements for the focus of inspections. The registration manuals provide the basis for requirements selected and outline the type of evidence that may be required, including the Registration Process for the NSW Government Schooling System Manual for government schools, Registered and Accredited Individual Non-government Schools (NSW) Manual for individual non-government schools, and the Registration Systems and Member Non-government Schools (NSW) Manual for systemic non-government schools. In 2022, NESA will be inspecting schools in relation to the Policy area of safe and supportive environment – child protection. They will also inspect in relation to one Curriculum area, of primary schools, secondary schools with years 7 to 10, or secondary schools with years 11 and 12.

One in 50 Queensland students contract COVID as Government slammed over ventilation audits

ABC News reports that Queensland schools are being encouraged to reinstate mask-wearing after the revelation that one in 50 of the state's students have tested positive for COVID-19. The Government, meanwhile, has come under fire for failing to adequately audit ventilation in schools, conducting ventilation audits in only five Brisbane schools this year. Air quality expert Lidia Morawska said the number of schools audited was "grossly inadequate". "This is such a priority, and this was expected — once the kids are back and there are no masks in schools and there is no ventilation, then COVID would be spreading in schools," she said. "We knew this was going to happen since the end of last year, but we've been talking about this for the last two years, so what can we say? "They really need to find out a way of doing [ventilation audits] much, much faster." LNP education spokesperson Christian Rowan said "To learn the Labor state government in Queensland has only assessed five schools to improve ventilation is an extraordinary failure," he said. "In the same time, the New South Wales Government has been able to assess 2,200 schools."

SA Premier rules out longer Easter school holidays to counter COVID-19 outbreaks at schools

ABC News reports that South Australia's Premier has quickly shut down any talk of public schools finishing term 1 a week early due to the pressures of COVID-19. The Australian Education Union last Thursday said the early closure was needed to help schools and teachers regroup after a chaotic opening to the year that had seen thousands of students and teachers absent for COVID-related reasons. The teachers union wants week 11 of term 1 to be cancelled for students. The head of the Department for Education said it was an option being considered. However, Peter Malinauskas said starting school holidays earlier did not make sense. He said it would not happen "if I’ve got anything to do with it — and I do". Department figures show 491 teachers were absent on Wednesday because they had COVID-19, were isolating or were caring for someone else — about 200 more than at the start of the month. Another 287 non-teaching staff were absent. Out of all public school students, 3.5 per cent had COVID-19 or were isolating on Wednesday.

Vaccine mandate for South Australian teachers and transport workers dropped as COVID-19 cases approach record

ABC News reports that unvaccinated teachers and school staff in South Australia, as well as public transport workers and taxi and rideshare drivers, will be able to return to work today. The state recently recorded two deaths of people with COVID-19 and 5,496 new cases, the second highest daily total on record. Unvaccinated workers in public schools will need to wear masks at all times indoors and use a rapid antigen test (RAT) every day. They will not be able to work in remote Aboriginal schools, in special schools or one-on-one with vulnerable students. With only about 200 staff out of 31,000 unvaccinated, Department for Education chief executive Rick Persse said dropping the mandate was not about resolving a staff shortage caused by the number of teachers having to isolate with COVID-19 or close contacts. "It's not a motivating factor on this; this is something we've been working on with the commissioner for months," Mr Persse said. "Obviously, these directions cease to be valid when the emergency declaration ends at some point in the future so we wanted to be in front of that."

INTERNATIONAL

‘Is it a crime to study?’: outcry as Taliban bar girls from secondary schools (Afghanistan)

The Guardian reports that the Taliban are facing international condemnation after they announced on Wednesday that girls would not be allowed to attend secondary school, despite their previous assurances. “The denial of education violates the human rights of women and girls,” said Michelle Bachelet, the UN human rights high commissioner. “Beyond their equal right to education, it leaves them more exposed to violence, poverty and exploitation.” The surprise announcement came late on Tuesday night. Many teachers and pupils found out only on Wednesday morning, the first day of the school year in Afghanistan, as girls prepared to return to class after a six-month break caused by the turmoil in the country. Girls have been banned from education beyond middle school in most of the country since the Taliban returned to power in mid-August 2021. Most universities opened up earlier this year but Taliban edicts on education have been erratic and, while a handful of provinces continued to provide education to all, most closed institutions for girls and women.

Government to issue ‘much tougher guidelines’ on strip searches in schools (United Kingdom)

The Guardian reports that the Government will issue much tougher guidelines on strip searches of children in schools in the wake of the Child Q scandal, the education secretary has said. Nadhim Zahawi said he found the case of the child – who was subjected to an intimate strip search by police officers in her school when she was 15 without parental consent and in the knowledge that she was menstruating – “hugely distressing”. He told the BBC’s Sunday Morning show that the search, which occurred after the child was wrongly suspected of possessing cannabis, was “appalling” and he had ordered a review of guidelines and policies around strip searches. A safeguarding report on the incident last week contained two recommendations, calling for the Department for Education to “review and revise” its 2018 guidance on “searching, screening and confiscation”, parts of which it said could “run the risk of promoting poor practice”.

Chile: students force closure of Santiago schools over sexual harassment and violence (Chile)

The Guardian reports that student strikes have forced a string of school closures across Chile’s capital amid growing anger over sexist and violent behaviour only weeks after the country returned to in-person classes after two years of Covid-19 lockdowns. Hundreds of girls joined protests outside the prestigious Santiago Lastarria school. The school was closed for two days and the culprits have been suspended while an investigation takes place. The district’s mayor, Evelyn Matthei, launched a support helpline for schoolchildren affected by gender violence and has pledged legal action. Last week, a 14-year-old was reportedly raped in a classroom by an older student during a lunch break. Students and parents staged protests outside the school’s locked gates, pelting the building with rocks while demanding explanations. According to the government’s education department, schoolchildren’s sexual harassment complaints have increased by 56 per cent in 2022 compared with the same period in 2018. A UNESCO report concluded that Covid school closures across the world have had gendered impacts on children, “which may also increase their vulnerability to ... gender-based violence”. Student activist Valentina Carrasco asserts that “Now more than ever we need inclusive sexual education programs that talk about consent and sexuality within a socio-cultural perspective.”