As NSW students prepare for a staggered approach back to the classroom, Education Review spoke to the president of the News South Wales Teachers Federation (NSWTF), Angelo Gavrielatos, about how well prepared the public sector is for upcoming term.

The NSWTF president spoke about a range of risks and challenges schools and teachers are facing, including the fact that some teachers will not be fully vaccinated by the time some classes begin. This is despite pleas for teachers to be given priority vaccinations earlier this year. The fact that many children will not be fully vaccinated is another concern for school communities and teachers who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons.

Gavrielatos also lamented the timetabling issues teachers will likely face when trying to deliver both face-to-face lessons for some students and online lessons for others. He also criticised the department for not auditing classroom ventilation months ago, saying they "dragged the chain, week after week after week", as well as not considering enough risk mitigation measures.

Suggestions such as opening windows in classrooms without any and outdoor learning have annoyed Gavrielatos a lot, with him telling Education Review: "It gets under my skin."

As NSW students prepare for a staggered approach back to the classroom, Education Review spoke to the president of the News South Wales Teachers Federation (NSWTF), Angelo Gavrielatos, about how well prepared the public sector is for upcoming term.
The NSWTF president spoke about a range of risks and challenges schools and teachers are facing, including the fact that some teachers will not be fully vaccinated by the time some classes begin. This is despite pleas for teachers to be given priority vaccinations earlier this year. The fact that many children will not be fully vaccinated is another concern for school communities and teachers who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons.
Gavrielatos also lamented the timetabling issues teachers will likely face when trying to deliver both face-to-face lessons for some students and online lessons for others. He also criticised the department for not auditing classroom ventilation months ago, saying they "dragged the chain, week after week after week", as well as not considering enough risk mitigation measures.
Suggestions such as opening windows in classrooms without any and outdoor learning have annoyed Gavrielatos a lot, with him telling Education Review: "It gets under my skin."

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