The New South Wales (NSW) Treasury is planning to put significant investment into tutoring services for students who have fallen behind during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
“A child’s education in their formative years has a substantial impact on their future. Initiatives that drive better education outcomes are going to be looked at favourably—we don’t want today’s problems turning into a challenge for tomorrow,” Perrottet said.
Perrottet said plans for the new tutoring initiative would expand on the previous program with more investment involved.
Currently, he is reviewing a number of submissions by industry stakeholders, community organisations, government departments, and others. Submissions will first be assessed then a proposal will be submitted to the government’s expenditure review committee.
Perrottet also said the treasury would be discussing additional mental health and infrastructure spending as part of the support measures, such as incentives for outdoor activities in heavily impacted regions.
Full details are likely to be announced in mid-October when it is expected that 70 percent of people aged 16 and over will be fully vaccinated.
Students in the Greater Sydney region have been under extended lockdown since late June, covering the entirety of Term 3.
While NSW is usually the top state when it comes to NAPLAN scores, the latest results put the state third behind Victoria and Western Australia.
However, the department noted that if case numbers significantly increase in one area local government area (LGA), home learning would resume for that LGA until numbers drop.