Expanded pilot for e-mail accounts

By Jennifer Leete

Fifty schools and TAFE sites have been asked by the Department of Education and Training to be involved in an expanded pilot of its Internet Services and Products Program.

This will include teacher and student e-mail accounts.

The expanded pilot (which follows a small pilot involving eight sites at the end of last year) follows an understanding between the Federation and the previous Education Minister, John Watkins, that all feedback information and issues generated during the pilot would be provided to Federation.

Federation's aim is to develop an industrial agreement with DET to address e-mail use and access as well as assess the educational and workload impact of the ISP program. This agreement will need to include staffing levels for technology support and teacher time, as well as training and development.

The 50 school and TAFE sites which have been invited to nominate are in the St George and Dubbo districts and include schools ranging from PP6 to collegiates.

While DET originally said they could run the 50-site pilot during term 1 it was not until well into term 2 that they were able to even send the letters out to schools inviting them to nominate.

Federation has made it clear to the DET that involvement of each school or TAFE section will be dependent upon a majority decision of a Federation meeting at the worksite. Further, individual teachers who do not wish to be involved in the pilot will not be expected to do so. We've also made it clear that where Federation members collectively or individually begin to be involved and then wish to withdraw then this is their absolute right.

Before the pilot can commence DET is conducting a technical trial in a small number of schools. This is to check whether the system actually works from a technical point of view as last year's small pilot threw up many technical problems.

DET will be providing technical support, release and relief as well as training and development for those schools and TAFE sections involved in the pilot. The Federation will closely monitor whether what is provided is adequate for the purpose.

Why does Federation want some of its members involved? Because the union needs information about the impact on teachers' work to inform the matters which need to be addressed in an industrial agreement.

Jennifer Leete is the Deputy President.

For further information

June 2003 contents