More than 4,100 tutors are to be deployed across Victorian schools next year to ensure no student is left behind in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Announced by Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Education, James Merlino, the $250 million package is the single biggest boost to individual learning support in Victoria’s history.
Mr Andrews and Mr Merlino said the package would support over 200,000 students and ensure that any student who may have fallen behind or become disengaged with school got the help they deserved.
“The Victorian Government is calling upon pre-service teachers, teachers on leave, retired teachers and casual relief teachers to sign up to be tutors to get back in the classroom,” the Minsters said.
“Working in small groups, the tutors will be available for every single Victorian government school, providing extra support for students who need it – no matter their circumstances or background,” they said.
“Our teachers have done a remarkable job this year and with the additional support of onsite tutors, these teaching teams can ensure that students have dedicated and individualised support throughout 2021.”
The Minsters said evidence suggested the students who struggled most with online learning were those with low levels of English, those already at risk of disengaging from school, and those with home environments not conducive to remote learning.
“The tutors will provide targeted teaching to students, with a focus on literacy and numeracy as these are the foundational skills,” they said.
They said schools would be able determine how tutoring support would be implemented for students.
