Minister for Education Dan Tehan has praised Australia’s students, teachers, principals, parents and carers who have completed a school year like no other.
More than four million students went to school in 2020, including more than 321,000 students who started school and more than 236,000 students who completed Year 12.
Queensland and South Australian students will be the first to break, with state government schools closing on the 11th, followed by Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory urban on the 17th, then Victoria, NSW, ACT and NT remote on the 18th.
“I’m giving all Australian students a gold star for effort this year,” Mr Tehan said.
“2020 saw bushfires followed by COVID-19 and the challenges it caused for our lives and education.
“Through it all, our students have demonstrated resilience, patience and flexibility and these attributes will hold them in good stead for the rest of their lives.
“I also want to thank our teachers, principals, educators and support staff who continued to provide a quality education in challenging circumstances.
“Finally, a very big thank you and gold star to all the parents and carers, who took on the additional roles of teacher, principal and classmate to ensure our students remained engaged.
“Our Government will continue to support all students as part of Australia’s recovery from COVID-19.”
Students and parents can access online mental health resources from Beyond Blue, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and Student Wellbeing Hub.
