Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Department of Education Regional Director for Darwin Paul Nyhius explains how the mobile phone ban will work in government schools

Transcript

Department of Education Regional Director for Darwin Paul Nyhius explains how the mobile phone ban will work in government schools · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now, as I mentioned, we know that more than thirty
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: thousand students attending government schools have gone back to school today.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: A sigh of relief for busy parents, that is for sure,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: but also oh, a bit of an uneasy time, I
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: think you'd say for those introducing kids to the classroom
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: for the first time. Sometimes kids are very excited, other
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: times they're a bit scared and nervous. It is we
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: know that there is a major change this year is
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: going to see mobile phones banned as well, with students
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: needing to hand them in or keep them turned off
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  Speaker 1: and away all day. Now joining me on the line
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  Speaker 1: is Paul Naihaus, who is indeed the Department of Education's
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  Speaker 1: regional director for Darwin. Good morning to you, Paul, Good.
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  Speaker 2: Morning to you, Katie, and good morning to your listeners.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: How are you, oh mate, I am so good because
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: the kids are back at school today.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: Oh wonderful. Thank you. Your sentiment is shared by lots
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: of families on you.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: No, it's really exciting for them. I know that. You know,
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  Speaker 1: it could be a bit daunting if you're the parent
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  Speaker 1: of a little one that's going to school for the
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: first time ever, though, can't it Yeah?
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: Sure, but I also think our parents are sorry our schools.
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  Speaker 2: There's such an amazing job connecting with families and parents
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  Speaker 2: and providing a really warm and welcoming environment. And I
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  Speaker 2: was out in some schools yesterday in the Darwin region
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  Speaker 2: and our schools are so well planned and well prepared
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  Speaker 2: to have all our students return today. So I think
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  Speaker 2: it's really exciting and it will be a great day
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  Speaker 2: for everybody.
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  Speaker 1: Now, how are our enrollments this year? Have we got
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  Speaker 1: some numbers when it comes to the number of students
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  Speaker 1: heading into preschool and year twelve and that kind of thing.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't have those specific numbers yet. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: we're certainly expecting, as you said, that thirty thousand plus
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: students to be returning to government schools. We will have
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: a better visibility of that today and we'll start getting
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: some numbers through and monitoring that. But again, strong, certainly
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  Speaker 2: strong enrollments and engagement from families across Darwin schools which
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  Speaker 2: I can speak to more specifically, but right across, right
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: across the territory. We've been planning as a department the
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: return to school and monitoring enrollments and all of those factors.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, I'm very positive and optimistic that'll be very
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: strong enrollments across our government schools. More importantly, Katie, strong attendance.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what we all want to see, isn't it.
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  Speaker 1: We want to make sure that those kids, that all
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  Speaker 1: the kids are attending school and you know, getting a
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  Speaker 1: good education. It is. It's the key in so many
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  Speaker 1: ways across life.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, and I think that's the message. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: attendance is the measure. But you know, how do how
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  Speaker 2: do we positively engage young people in learning, engage families?
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  Speaker 2: But as you're rightfully pointed out, you know, we're about completions.
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  Speaker 2: We're about getting young people through to that year twelve
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  Speaker 2: and or a pathway and that's that's fundamentally about meaningful
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  Speaker 2: outcomes to life and beyond. So yeah, absolutely, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we want all our young people back at school and
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  Speaker 2: we really want to be providing a high quality education
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  Speaker 2: all of them, which is what we're committed to doing.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Paul, following on from the pay negotiations last year,
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  Speaker 1: are our classrooms well staffed?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, and again all our schools are well placed
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  Speaker 2: across the territory today to welcome our students, and I
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  Speaker 2: guess you know, are they well staffed As a measure,
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  Speaker 2: we believe they're well staffed and well supported and well
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: resourced appropriately. Obviously they're ongoing conversations schools. Schools have a
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  Speaker 2: lot of autonomy to manage their personal and manage their
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: staffing structures, but fundamentally I believe we are And again
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: you know, there's obviously conversations at a national level with
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: how we secure additional funding to support the complex and
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  Speaker 2: very diverse needs of students across the territory. So they're
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  Speaker 2: ongoing conversations and are something that I know our SEA
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  Speaker 2: is particularly passionate about, and those conversations will continue.
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  Speaker 1: And Paul, for the region that you look after, av
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: see the Darwin region. How many teaching vacancies are there
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  Speaker 1: across the region at this point in time.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so I guess, first and foremost all of our
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  Speaker 2: schools are providing that service today. The latest figures that
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  Speaker 2: I had were about three so it's a very low number,
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  Speaker 2: and in fact it's lower than what we've had in
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  Speaker 2: previous years, which is which is great. We've been working
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  Speaker 2: extensively around the recruitment attraction of teachers to the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 2: We had a fantastic orientation last week with lots of
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  Speaker 2: high energy teachers coming from jurisdictions right across Australia. So
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  Speaker 2: you know we've got three. They're typically in specialized teaching areas.
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  Speaker 2: But again our schools have got contingencies in place to
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  Speaker 2: make sure that that students aren't disadvantaged at all and
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  Speaker 2: will continue to recruit and fill those positions as required.
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  Speaker 2: I guess the other measure to Katie is from a
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  Speaker 2: from a national perspective, the territory is actually faring very
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  Speaker 2: well when compared to some of the regionalvacancies in other jurisdictions.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that is good to hear because I know it
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  Speaker 1: was a big concern towards the end of last year,
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  Speaker 1: so it is good to hear that you know that
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  Speaker 1: the majority of those vacancies have been able to be filled.
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  Speaker 1: Pill you know. The other interesting thing that's coming into
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: play this year is obviously the new phone policy. I
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  Speaker 1: think most parents are pretty happy about this, or you know,
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  Speaker 1: they're fine with it. Like I think our kids are
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  Speaker 1: very often you know, sort of glued to their phones
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  Speaker 1: in a lot of ways, so it's good for them
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  Speaker 1: to be to be put away so that they can
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  Speaker 1: learn properly without them. How is it all going to work?
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  Speaker 1: How are you going to enforce that?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? I think well, firstly, thanks for your support, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: and I think from a community perspective that has been unwavering.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, you know, I haven't spoken to anyone that
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  Speaker 2: has said, you know that there isn't a there isn't
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  Speaker 2: a good sound reason and logic behind the decision to
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  Speaker 2: have phones off in a way all day. So you
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  Speaker 2: know that that's that's great that we have that community
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  Speaker 2: support and it is absolutely for the right reasons. Our
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: schools are very well placed to implement that. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: we did some planning towards the end of last year
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  Speaker 2: and essentially it's as you as you stated. In our
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: primary schools phones will have a safe place for phones
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  Speaker 2: to be stored. In our secondary schools, phones are off
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: and away all day and that's the expectation. And again
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: our school principles, our leadership teams in schools and our
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  Speaker 2: teachers will maintain that very high expectation and standard and
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: work with young people and families as needed when issues
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: do arise. But I think it's this is day one.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: The expectation is in place and we'll make sure that
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  Speaker 2: we uphold those high expectations around mobile phone usage and
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  Speaker 2: the appropriate use of mobile phones.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, do you reckon it's going to be difficult in
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  Speaker 1: any circumstances. Do you think that there will be much
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  Speaker 1: of pushback from the kids and then, you know, making
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  Speaker 1: it into a bit more difficult for the teachers that
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  Speaker 1: are trying to police it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, it's a bit of an unknown I think,
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  Speaker 2: Katie to me and you and I have spoken before.
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  Speaker 2: You know, it's the same as having a school uniform.
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  Speaker 2: You know, you have a school uniform. There's an expectation
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  Speaker 2: and every now and again you need to work with
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  Speaker 2: young people and all their families to ensure that that uniform,
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  Speaker 2: compulsory school uniform is adhered to. So I think this
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  Speaker 2: will be the same. I'm confident that the majority of
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  Speaker 2: our young people will make those good choices, make the
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: right decision, and just adhere to those expectations. Where there
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  Speaker 2: are some specific issues around that, then schools will put
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: in place appropriate contingencies and consequences to maintain that standard.
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  Speaker 2: And I think it's important that we do that. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: the message needs to be that they are off and
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  Speaker 2: away all day and if that expectation is not followed,
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  Speaker 2: then they need to be in place, put in place
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  Speaker 2: some appropriate measures. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Like I said, right from the outset, I actually think
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  Speaker 1: this is a good move, particularly when you see some
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  Speaker 1: of the vision that's emerged over the years of kids
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  Speaker 1: engaged in fights and and you know, not doing the
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  Speaker 1: right thing and then it ended up ending up being
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  Speaker 1: shared and the ramifications of that then are sometimes worse
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  Speaker 1: than the actual incident, you know, when you can't have
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  Speaker 1: it removed and it's and it's there on the internet.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, spot on, Katie, And I think you know that
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  Speaker 2: that fundamentally is one of the key drivers of this,
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  Speaker 2: this decision and the decision by the Minister and our
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: department to put this in place. So it is about
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  Speaker 2: protecting the safety and well being of our young students.
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  Speaker 2: It's also very much and as you said, you know
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  Speaker 2: that the social media. You know, there's lots of great
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  Speaker 2: things about social media, but you know, the risks and
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  Speaker 2: the and the dangers of having young people exposed in
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  Speaker 2: such a such a horrific way for one of a
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  Speaker 2: better term is absolutely that that has lasting impacts and
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  Speaker 2: that's what we want to avoid. And I guess further
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  Speaker 2: to that, it's really how do we ensure that our
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  Speaker 2: young people can focus on quality learning and also quality relationships.
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  Speaker 2: Putting the phone away and actually having a conversation and
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  Speaker 2: engaging in other ways of connecting and building relationships with
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  Speaker 2: their peers and others I think is really really valuable
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  Speaker 2: as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, hey, Paul, before I let you go, just very quickly,
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  Speaker 1: is there any sort of funding support available for school
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  Speaker 1: supplies and sport and things like that. I know that
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: very often through our government schools you do get those
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  Speaker 1: different vouchers.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, Katie, and that's continuing. The back to school
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  Speaker 2: payment scheme essentially provides one hundred and fifty dollars for
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: families for each student, and again that can be used
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  Speaker 2: for a range of things from uniforms which we just
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  Speaker 2: talked about, to textbooks, excursions, et cetera. So that one
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  Speaker 2: hundred and fifty dollars back to school payment voucher is
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  Speaker 2: absolutely still in place the expectation that it is used
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  Speaker 2: in the first term of school. So we encourage our
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  Speaker 2: parents and families to connect with their school and work
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: with the schools on exactly what that can be used for.
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  Speaker 2: But yeah, we're really pleased that that continues. Thank you
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: for sharing that information with your listeners.
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: Oh well, Department of Education Regional Director for Darwin, Paul Nihous.
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  Speaker 1: Good to catch up with you. I appreciate your time
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  Speaker 1: this morning.
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks so much, Katie, have a great day you too.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: Thank you.