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Schools won't re-open as soon as lockdown lifts
Education Minister Chris Hipkins is warning parents it would be wrong for them to assume that all schools will reopen as soon as the lockdown ends. "That's not going to happen," he told the Epidemic Response Committee this morning. Hipkins said parents would need to prepare to have their kids at home for longer than the four-week lockdown period. "It's going to be a progressive reopening of the system, rather than a big bang all at once." The same went for tertiary institutions and early childhood centres as well. Although Hipkins said that at level 3 there would be more flexibility, it would take a while for most schools to reopen. New Zealand is just past the halfway point in the four-week lockdown period – however the Government has always maintained that the lockdown can be extended. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has so far provided no confirmation as to whether level 4 would be extended. Hipkins said the key measure as to when schools would reopen would be based on health advice.
The Government was working on a number of different packages and initiatives in this area for when New Zealand goes back down to level three. Hipkins thanked the entire educational community for "keeping the system running" over the lockdown. "It's been incredibly difficult," he said. He also thanked parents who have their kids at home – "I want to take my hat off to them". Hipkins also had a message for those parents who are helping with their children's learning over lockdown: "Be reasonable of your expectations of yourself". He also warned parents to be "reasonable" when it comes to their expectations of their young children's productivity. So far, 20,000 work book packages have been delivered to kids so far – that number will jump to 60,000 next week, Hipkins said.
And the Government is gearing up to be in a position where it can deliver half a million workbooks across the country, he said. These were primarily for those students who don't have access to internet or the appropriate devices. If costs continue to be a barrier for learning, the Government would look into that, Hipkins said. "We will make sure it [cost] is not a barrier." Asked if the Government was planning on providing a support package for schools heavily impacted by the drop in international students, Hipkins said: "We will have to do some modelling on that". He pointed out that the wage subsidy scheme was available to those in the tertiary education sector.
But he said the Government will not subsidise international students.
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Poll: Is it rude to take a full trolley to self-checkout?
Luckily self-checkout is being pretty common in supermarkets these days and we generally use it to quickly buy a few things without the long lines. But perhaps it's appropriate to head there with your full trolley to skip the lines?
What are your thoughts? Is that rude?
Share in the comments below if this has ever happened to you.
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51.2% Yes!
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45% Nah, it's okay
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3.8% Other - I'll share below!
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Happy Monday, neighbours, can you solve this riddle🤔
What has a neck but no head, two arms but no hands?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Q&A: Ask a question about...Online Safety
Continuing with Neighbourly's online Q&A with experts in their field, this week we are tackling online safety with Jandy Fiske from Netsafe.
Jandy Fiske has been with Netsafe for nearly 8 years. Starting on their helpline, she's now Netsafe's Community Engagement Advisor. Jandy says: 'I'm passionate about online safety because I strongly oppose bullying and want to support those affected by it.'
Jandy is passionate about protecting vulnerable communities and is promoting online safety to ensure no one falls prey to online scams. She can answer your questions about any type of online scams, and also about online harm such as online bullying.
↓ Ask your question below now and she'll be online on Wednesday, 11th September to reply to you ↓
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