Page 3155 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
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One of the department’s priorities is the aim of developing the next generation of teaching and learning online, including through the delivery of a new virtual learning environment. We have learnt this is being trialled in a number of schools, with a view to a full rollout to all schools at the beginning of term 3. Given the school safety issues raised in the recent student survey, which indicate one in three students have safety concerns at school, I am pleased to see that provisions have been made in the trial system for cyber safety.
Members would be aware of the worrying increase in the use of technology to harass and bully students. This is known as cyber bullying. It is essential that the government and the department pay close attention to this in introducing new technology, which I understand will allow students 24-hour, seven-day-a-week access to the system. I note access will be allowed for parents, as part of a later stage in the development. Certainly, it sounds an exciting innovation, but ensuring that all students are able to safely access the system, regardless of their home circumstances, is something that needs to be considered as the system is rolled out.
There was considerable discussion in estimates around the issue of cyber bullying and the use of mobile phones. We were informed that this issue was the focus of the safe schools task force, that they were having conversations around this matter and that the department is in the process of writing to the minister in regard to some ideas on how to tackle the issue of cyber bullying. It is planned to deliver a program around cyber bullying next year, to reduce cyber bullying. This is all very well, and we appreciate this is a complex issue, but it seems we are moving too slowly.
What concerns me is the fact that data on bullying is captured at school level only, and that is for a variety of reasons. We are therefore left to rely on the school safety survey which, as I raised in question time this week, shows that 30 per cent of our public students do not feel safe at school. Again, we look forward to seeing what will be done in this area in coming months, but suggest that, in light of recent events in relation to bullying in other states and the school safety survey results, the department needs to really focus on this area quite quickly.
In estimates, I raised the Auditor-General’s report on students support services for public high schools, which was released on 21 May of this year. (Second speaking period taken.) The Auditor-General’s findings were around schools failing to keep their obligations under the safe schools policy, leading to the risk that policies were not being implemented as intended and that most schools have failed to meet requirements to publish their school plan on websites. I note that, in the response to this, the department has undertaken to improve its performance indicators and its communication of support services. We certainly hope this is the case, as the student survey results show that this support is clearly needed.
We are pleased to see that the government has allocated $1.6 million over four years to address some of the challenges in special education. In estimates, the minister and departmental officials indicated there is a significant amount of work planned in relation to special education. We appreciate that the Shaddock review was a very detailed review and that the Assembly committee inquiry into the needs of ACT children with a disability is yet to report its findings. But we need to ensure that issues
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