Victoria’s new plan to give students classroom devices has been slammed by the state’s peak teachers’ union, with claims the Allan government is “living in a dreamland” for expecting schools to fund student laptops from already stretched budgets.
The plan, which comes into effect from 2027, public primary schools across Victoria will provide electronic devices to classrooms – saving them more than $500 per student. To further support student learning and engagement, screen time limits will also be introduced to all schools.
“Victoria led the nation by banning mobile phones from schools in 2020, and now we are leading the way again by ensuring that primary school kids can use a school laptop or tablet, instead of needing their own,” Victoria’s Education Minister, Ben Carroll, said in a statement.
However, the Australian Education Union Victorian Branch says the Allan government is “living in a dreamland” for expecting schools to fund student laptops from already stretched budgets, calling the plan “laughable”.
“Not requiring parents to pay for tablets or laptops is a good thing, they should never have had to in the first place, but the Allan government is living in a dreamland if they think public schools have the budgets available to provide devices to all students when Victorian public schools are the lowest funded in the nation,” AEU Victoria Branch President, Justin Mullaly, said in a statement.
“Instead of delivering the funding, Premier Allan has cut $2.4 billion from public schools through to 2031.”
Mullaly said this constitutes “a disgrace” and “makes the claim that Victoria is the education state meaningless nonsense.”
“There is no way that Victoria’s public primary schools will be able to ensure students have access to up-to-date technology and secure devices unless the Premier stops the con-job and fixes her public school funding mess.”