Students and families are also facing unnecessary pressures with Schools making children with disabilities fight to attend school despite their basic legislated rights under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 to have their assistance dogs accompany them to school.
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On 28 November 2022, Adelaide Now has the headline ‘Education Minister says phones egg on violence in schools as ban imminent’
· Principals and teachers have thrown their weight behind the decision despite previously expressing opposition.
· Individual schools will be responsible for enforcing the ban, with students being told they must either leave their devices at home or lock them in storage during school hours.
· Another point to consider with banning the mobile phones of students, is they have the capacity to record incidents as they occur, and then have the ability for the recorded evidence to be used to show exactly what has transpired – and potentially to be used with a prosecution.
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ABC News also reported on 3 February 2023 ‘SA opposition calls on government to help schools manage new phone ban as students flout rules’
· The opposition says students have already found ways around a lockable pouch system used in some schools
· The government says there are disciplinary procedures in place
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Further, another story on the ABC News posted on 5 February 2023 has the headline ‘Private schools poaching teachers from the public sector with better salaries, principals say’
· Wage gaps mean public schools across Australia are losing teachers to private schools, unions say
· Perks on offer at private schools include higher salaries and long-service leave after five years
· Because public schools have government-set budgets, principals say they cannot compete
If this is truly the case, it appears that teachers who are good at what they do are being lured away with the offer of better salaries and long service leave after 5 years – thus impacting again on the potential outcomes of children in the public sector, which of course includes regional areas.
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A story from the ABC News posted on 7 February 2023 refers to ‘mental health issues being described as ‘key driver of non-attendance’, as students stay away from schools.
· New data reveals the rate of children staying home from school, whether for mental health or illness, is on the rise.
· The national primary school attendance rate was 87.8 per cent in 2022, a 4.5 per cent drop from 2021, after years of small declines, this is a further concern given that 2021 was the height of the pandemic.
· High school attendance sunk to 84.7 per cent -- a 4.1 per cent drop from 2021
Public school enrolments are at a 10-year low, with just 65 per cent of Australia's 4.03 million students enrolled in public schools. (ABC News: Sarah Mullins)
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