Mary Papadakis, Education reporter March 18, 2007 12:00am http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21399416-2862,00.html
SCHOOLS would open 10 hours a day under a radical proposal to help relieve the growing pressure on working parents.
Victorian education leaders have backed a recommendation to keep schools open an extra four hours a day from 8am to 6pm.The proposal was put forward by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in a report released recently.
The plan would essentially create a "one-stop shop" for parents, who would be able to use on-site before and after school hours care.
Victorian Principals Association president Fred Ackerman said the recommendation was about providing parents with a convenient service.
"We are here to provide a service for the community, for parents and their kids," he said.
But Mr Ackerman said appropriate facilities needed to be built as part of the State Government's $1.9 billion plan to build new schools and upgrade existing rundown ones.
"This shouldn't be seen as an add-on without any additional resources and facilities," he said.
Australian Education Union Victorian president Mary Bluett said she supported the idea of schools having extended hours care on site if appropriate facilities and resources were available.
"It makes enormous sense," she said.
A spokesman for Victorian Education Minister John Lenders said while the Government appreciated schools needed to cater for families, there were no plans to extend school operating hours to make on-site before and after hours care compulsory.
Instead, the Federal Government needed to do more to help make workplaces family friendly to relieve the stress on working parents, he said.
