Many teaching and education students are struggling to complete their final round of placement due to the impact COVID-19 has had on schools and society as a whole. Several students, including myself, who were initially scheduled to complete placement back in April, are now dealing with yet another fork in the road. Given that the Victorian Government has yet again reintroduced Stage 3 lock down laws for a minimum of six weeks, as of 8th July 11:59pm, students yet again are left not knowing when they can complete their course. The new restrictions mean that for a large number of students, this placement experience may not occur until late August/ early September; I think this is unfair and can be avoided.

I am proposing that students become exempt from having to complete the final round of placement and ultimately be provided with a supplementary assessment task to complete instead. I believe it is fair to say that students who have come this far in their course are well-equipped with the skills and knowledge to become graduate teachers, and that their prior records are accurate determinants of what they are capable of achieving. It would be in the best interest of the DET and Victoria University to consider this opportunity.