Almost all the NT's remote education staff stayed in their communities over the Easter break.
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At the end of Term 1, the NT Government announced a Remote Community Schools Package, to incentivise teachers and school staff not to leave their communities for the one week term break.
Katherine teachers were not eligible.
The package was introduced in addition to border control and designated biosecurity area restrictions to prevent transmission of coronavirus to vulnerable Territorians in remote communities.
It included:
- A $500 retention payment for staff remaining in community for the period 9 April - 20 April 2020. This is in addition to any existing retention payments applicable within the relevant current Enterprise Agreement.
- Unused Fares Out of Isolated Localities (FOILS) payment retained for use before 30 June 2021.
- An additional day of leave to conduct personal business for Classroom and Senior Teachers to use by the end of 2020.
- Additional wellbeing support for staff, including three additional individual sessions and group sessions for all schools.
Staff who left their school's designated biosecurity area were ineligible for the package.
They were also required to undertake two weeks quarantine outside the biosecurity area at their own expense before returning to community and to take recreation leave or leave without pay to do so.
Just under one thousand teachers and support staff at schools within the designated biosecurity areas were eligible for the incentives.
A very small number of staff chose to leave.
Approximately 99 per cent of those eligible for the incentives remained in their designated biosecurity areas.
The small number who left did so for a range of reasons, including wellbeing and to access essential services.
Remote staff who were eligible for the $500 retention payment will receive it by the end of April 2020.
Education Minister Selena Uibo said: "I am extremely proud of our remote teachers and school staff, whose dedication to their communities has extended to staying throughout their school holidays to help protect our most vulnerable Territorians.
"Our teachers and school staff are seen as role models to our remote community residents, so the fact that nearly 100 per cent of our almost 1000-strong remote education workforce did not leave their communities is testament that their passion goes well beyond education.
"As a former teacher in a remote school, I know school staff look forward to this period of respite, so I thank our educators for doing the right thing by their communities.
"Our remote teachers are some of the Territory's most committed educators and I hope the incentive to stay in community throughout the holiday break goes some way to showing how much we appreciate them through this unprecedented time."
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Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
