A Victorian Government investigation into state education is currently taking place, with the high level of absenteeism among Benalla students on the agenda.
The Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee is leading the inquiry, accepting online submissions until October 2023, with face-to-face hearings held statewide in the past month.
The inquiry’s website states the committee will explore the Victorian education system in public schools.
“The inquiry will look at trends in student learning outcomes, disparities associated with geography and socio-economic disadvantage; the state of the teaching profession, including the administrative burden on teachers; and student wellbeing, including measures to address poor mental health, school refusal and student disengagement,” the inquiry’s introduction said.
“The committee will consider best practice models and educational settings used to improve student learning outcomes and wellbeing.”
On Wednesday, April 17, a public hearing was held in Shepparton.
Both online submissions and the public hearing raised many points.
One concern was the absenteeism of secondary school students, with Benalla P-12 College being used as an example.
Tomorrow Today Benalla provided data, showing that the number of days absent had increased for the college; however, state numbers had decreased.
The state average days off for students was 9.8 in 2022, whereas the Benalla P-12 College average was 35.3, 3.6 times the state average.
Submissions also discussed the ongoing teacher shortage.
“I am troubled by the fact that my son, who is in Year 9, has not received his end-of-semester report for English, which is an essential document for assessing his academic progress,” local mother Katherine Neall wrote in her submission.
“Unfortunately, due to the ongoing teacher shortage, my children’s school is facing significant challenges in meeting these important [reporting] obligations.
“I firmly believe that every student deserves the opportunity to receive a comprehensive end-of-semester report and ongoing formative assessment.”
Another submission discussed reporting as an issue in state schools.
“Midyear reporting of some classes was not available with the comment that the current teacher shortage has impacted on their ability to produce reports,” a grandmother of Greater Shepparton Secondary College students said.
“This means that a family has no measure of their children’s achievements and the learning needs which may require tutoring or other interventions.”
Other submissions to the inquiry discussed how GSSC was doing following the amalgamation, including one from a current teacher of the school.
“In my opinion, the GSSC is doing incredibly well. It doesn’t get reported,” the teacher said.
“When positive stories are covered, they tend to get overwhelmingly negative comments on the websites.”
The teacher continued, discussing solutions to the problems the school was facing.
“I think we need more and adequate educational funding so students always have what they need in class, and teachers are no longer subsidising these costs with their wages,” they said.
“Teen parents also need more support, which needs to be holistic, including access to financial support, accommodation and childcare.
“The teacher shortages are really important to address urgently.
“The GSSC can work and is working. I don’t believe that at this point in time, opening another school will fix the problems we face.”
The News reached out to the Department of Education to ask about the inquiry and the submissions related to GSSC.
“Before the establishment of the Greater Shepparton Secondary College, the community had below-average student outcomes, declining enrolments and limited subjects on offer to students,” a department spokesperson said.
“As with all schools, enrolments fluctuate year to year; however, Greater Shepparton Secondary College enrolments remain strong, despite a reduction in Grade 6 students across the region.”
In relation to travel concerns and safety, the spokesperson said the school had ample travel arrangements for the students.
“More than 60 buses provide a free service both before and after school to make sure every GSSC student, whether they live in Shepparton, Mooroopna or the broader Goulburn Valley, has easy transport options every day,” the spokesperson said.
“The new school offers a broad range of subjects in world-class facilities, with free travel to school every day for every student.”
Public hearings were also held in Bairnsdale, Traralgon and Bendigo.
On May 8 and 9, public hearings will be held in Melbourne.
A report of the findings and outcomes will be presented to parliament in June 2024.
For more information and to view all submissions, head to parliament.vic.gov.au/stateeducationinquiry