Decentralisation and Regional Education Minister Andrew Gee has welcomed today's schools announcement from the Victorian Government, the final state to provide clarification for parents about children heading back to into the classroom.
"I'm pleased that all states and territories have now mapped a pathway to return to face to face learning," Minister Gee said.
"We still need to open state borders to allow all boarding students to get back into the classroom.
"As a father of school-aged kids, I know how important it is to get our country students back to school. This is crucial to getting parents back to work and restarting our economy.
"Research into the impact of remote and online learning has been clear in showing almost one in two Australian children will be worse off.
"The research shows students at particular risk of poorer learning outcomes include those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, those in rural and remote areas, Indigenous students and students with a disability - and we don't want this large cohort of kids left behind or disadvantaged.
"I want to thank our teachers, and our students as well, for their professionalism and commitment to education during difficult and unprecedented times."
It's important that we continue to follow expert medical advice and social distancing measures once schools return to normal to keep Australian teachers and students safe.
