'Defies logic': Teachers blast Gladys Berejiklian for 'premature, ill-conceived' decision to send Year 12 students back to school next week - and claim they were never consulted

Sydney students - except those in Covid hotspots- will return to school Monday
Teachers' Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said they were not consulted
He told an inquiry on Wednesday they learnt about the decision in media reports
Mr Gavrielatos described the premier's policy as 'premature' and 'ill-conceived'

By Tita Smith For Daily Mail Australia and Aap

Published: 13:03 BST, 11 August 2021 | Updated: 13:17 BST, 11 August 2021

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The NSW teachers union has slammed Gladys Berejiklian's decision to send year 12 students in Greater Sydney back to school next week.

Teachers' Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos told a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday into the state government's response to the pandemic that teachers were not consulted about the plan.

Some Year 12 students will return to school from Monday, while all school assessments and trial HSC exams will take place remotely.

No student from the nine council Covid hotspot areas, regardless of whether they have received the Pfizer vaccine, will be permitted to attend classes as was earlier indicated.

Ms Berejiklian first formally announced face-to-face learning would resume on August 16 during a press conference on July 28.

Teachers' Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos (pictured) has slammed the decision to send year 12 students in Greater Sydney back to classrooms next week

But Mr Gavrielatos said the government did not contact the NSW Teachers' Federation to discuss their intention, which he described as 'premature' and 'ill conceived'.

Instead, he claimed the union learned of the plan through media reports the night before Ms Berejiklian unveiled her decision to the public.

'I need to put on record how shocked we were to learn through the media, in the evening of the 27th of July, the government’s decision to announce what is now clearly the premature, ill-conceived return of year 12 from the 16th of August as had been intended by the government,' Mr Gavrielatos said.

'It defied logic, it defied the health advice, it defied science and I repeat: that decision was taken without any prior consultation with the profession.

'We learnt about it in the media at about 6.30, 7pm that evening. It was followed by a phone call at approximately 8pm that evening. We were shocked because only a few days earlier, the Premier had announced a state of emergency on the back of rising case numbers.'

Mr Gavrielatos fiery comments came after the NSW's education minister earlier told the inquiry all education stakeholders were notified of the decision prior to the July 28 press conference.

Year 12 students- except those from Sydney's nine LGAs of concern - will return to school from Monday. Pictured: HSC students get Pfizer doses at the mass vaccination hub at Qudos Arena earlier this week

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell and Education Department Secretary Georgina Harrisson fronted the inquiry on Wednesday to face questions about their involvement in the return-to-school policy.

Ms Harrisson said she alerted the NSW Teachers’ Federation, Secondary Principals Council, Association of Independent Schools and Catholic Schools NSW either 'the evening before of the morning of' July 28.

However, in response, Mr Gavrielatos told board members Greens MP David Shoebridge and Labor MP John Graham it should be noted the measure was leaked to the media before stakeholders were notified.

Ms Mitchell also told the inquiry she could not give a date for when most of the state's students can return to classrooms.

Ms Berejiklian indicated on Wednesday that she hoped high vaccination rates would mean a return for more students by October, but said it was still premature to say for certain.

'Is it going to be another month? Is it going to be until October? Is it going to be until the end of the year? Surely you can give (parents) more indication than ''wait until the 28 August'' and ''we're having conversations,'''Labor's Courtney Houssos asked.

'We will be in a position to tell parents what to expect within the coming weeks,' Ms Mitchell said.

Mr Gavrielatos said the NSW Teachers' Federation found out about the decision to resume face-to-face learning in media reports before Gladys Berejiklian's formal announcement on July 28

'We are working on that with our stakeholders ... we know that we're learning from home until the 28th of August, that is still two-and-a-half weeks away.'

The education minister stressed she had been advocating for students to return to classrooms as soon as safely possible.

'Of course we are working with Health in terms of designing what a COVID-safe HSC exam period looks like,' Ms Mitchell said.

'It's absolutely our intention for those exams to go ahead unless we've already pushed those exams back a week which is what we did last year.'

However, she said the government intends for senior students to sit their HSC exams in October despite the disruptions.

'Of course we are working with health in terms of designing what a COVID-safe HSC exam period looks like,' Ms Mitchell said.

Despite learning disruptions, NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the government intends to proceed with HSC exams in October. Pictured: Senior Sydney students at a mass vaccination hub

'It is absolutely our intention for exams to go ahead. NESA has already pushed those exams back for a week, which is what we did last year … that work has begun and will continue.'

Mr Shoebridge said there had been a great deal of anxiety and stress among students and teachers following the premier's backtrack on a return to school for all of year 12.

But Ms Mitchell disputed the suggestion that education officials had been blindsided by Ms Berejiklian's earlier announcement about the partial return to classrooms, saying key stakeholders were informed before the press conference.

Department Secretary Georgina Harrisson confirmed they were unable to track vaccination rates of teachers, while Ms Mitchell said about 51 per cent of the state's teachers were aged 40 and over and had been eligible for the jab for some time.