Thursday, 31 October 2024

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (21:37): (1242) I rise to make an adjournment request this evening for the attention of the Minister for Education, focusing on enhancing supports available for pregnant students within the Victorian public school system. Victoria’s public school system serves a large population of female students, with an estimated almost 330,000 currently enrolled in the system. While the teen pregnancy rate is steadily declining, certain areas still experience higher levels of disadvantage, which can create additional challenges for young mothers in completing their secondary schooling education. The Allan Labor government and the Department of Education, alongside Commonwealth support programs and partners like the South East Local Learning and Employment Network, already provide meaningful assistance to young parents. However, expanding policies to offer further wraparound services will assist and ensure that these students receive the support that they need directly within the public school system. Additionally, the Department of Education requires pregnant students to obtain a medical certificate to attend school past 34 weeks of pregnancy. Whilst well intentioned, a measure such as this may inadvertently pose obstacles for students seeking to complete their education. Similarly, the need for medical certification during time off during the VCE can disproportionately affect female students managing medical conditions such as painful periods or endometriosis.

The action I seek is for the minister to consider a review of the current Department of Education policies to ensure better support for pregnant students and for young parents, specifically by looking at information and data collected on a regional basis to identify pregnant students – perhaps as a reason for school non-completion – but also for the purposes of helping to inform tailored region-specific support for students and also expanding resources and support options within public schools for pregnant students and young parents and reviewing policies regarding the requirement to provide medical certificates for attendance at 34 weeks of pregnancy and beyond. We want to make sure that there is equitable access for education for all students in Victoria regardless of their pregnancy status, and we want to reinforce our commitment to addressing systemic disadvantage and fostering positive outcomes for every young person.