‘Critical’ teachers get COVID-19 vaccine and return to classrooms

The Australian Catholic University’s Dr Kevin Donnelly says it’s “critical” that teachers get vaccinated and “we get back to face to face teaching” as students and teachers struggle with online learning during the extended Greater Sydney lockdown. Dr Donnelly, who is a Senior Research Fellow at the University, says data shows around 20 to 30 per cent of teachers around Australia “are suffering” because of the significant issues faced when pivoting to online learning, including “technical problems” and “isolation”. “Primary school in particular, teachers love to be in the classroom - they’ve got that group of kids for most of the day, five days a week,” Dr Donnelly said. “Teachers are missing that interaction with their students. “It’s a compounding problem. It’s not just academically we’re going backwards, it’s that thousands of teachers and students around Australia are suffering anxiety and depression. “We can get kids back to school, they’re not a risk group in terms of when you compare them to older people.”