Ah, those good old school days! Morning assemblies, afternoon sports, and, best of all, finishing the day by 3 pm. Such simpler times, right? Or perhaps not so simple for working grandparents who struggle to arrange their schedules around their grandchild's school day.

The traditional 9 am to 3 pm classroom timetable has come under fire for being 'sexist', a 'relic of a sexist, bygone era', and even detrimental to working mums. Jordan Lane, a fresh-faced Liberal MP, recently made headlines for challenging the current school hours and advocating for an extension of the school day until 6 pm.

At only 28 years old, Mr Lane became MP for Ryde with a slim 54-vote margin in the New South Wales election in March. He made a splash with his maiden speech, where he critiqued the outdated classroom hours.

'The great travesty of public policy would be if the education system of the 2050s looks as it did when it was established in the 1950s,' he said. 'It is a relic of a sexist, bygone era where society assumed women stayed at home and were responsible for the school pick-up.'

New MP Jordan Lane calls for an extension to school hours. Credit: Facebook.

As many of you may have experienced yourself, the pressures of modern life have changed drastically since then. More often than not, many adults and caretakers now work outside the home, and coordinating work schedules with school drop-offs and pick-ups can be challenging for many families.

Mr Lane, who was formerly the youngest mayor in NSW, called for extending the school day so it would 'be more accommodating of modern employment'. He envisions schools becoming 'hubs for after-school activity' where the government guarantees children can stay on campus until 6 pm.

This proposal would offer 'parents flexibility while at the same time making school a place for extracurricular excellence'.

The additional hours in school would be filled with activities like coding, art, music, language, sport, and theatre, providing children with a 'more rounded experience'.

This isn't the first time such an idea has been suggested in the NSW parliament. The former Premier, Dominic Perrottet, introduced a pilot program in nine schools during Terms 3 and 4 of 2022.

'In my view, 9 am until 3 pm doesn't work,' said Mr Perrottet. 'You've also got challenges with before and after school, you've got childcare issues, and you've got early childhood education.'

Besides the support from the former education minister, Sarah Mitchell, the proposal has unsurprisingly outraged many social media users. Critics claim that extending school hours could erode a child's free time and leisure, stressing that 'children aren't here to cater to our needs'.

Key Takeaways

• A fresh-faced Liberal MP, Jordan Lane, has suggested extending school hours to 6 pm because the traditional 9 am to 3 pm classroom times are a 'relic of a sexist, bygone era'.
• Mr Lane has called for schools to become hubs for after-school activity and for the government to guarantee that a child can remain on school campuses until 6 pm.
• The proposed extended hours would allow for a 'more rounded experience' by doing classes on various subjects like coding, art, music, language, sport, and theatre.
• Some social media users were critical of Mr Lane's proposal, stating that children need time to relax and be kids.

Although controversial, this discussion shines a light on the struggles faced by many working parents and grandparents and raises important questions: Are extended school hours the answer? Or is there a need to revisit the balance between work and family life in general?

What do you think, dear readers? Have you had to juggle the school drop-off and pick-up for your grandkids? Would this change make life easier for you or people you know? We'd love to hear your opinions on this matter. Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!

 

[Jay Jay]

Apologies for all my typos!

 

[chips]

M grandchildren start school at 7.30 and finish at 1.30 they are in high school and they go off and play golf. They are in Sydney

 

[Lynjw]

Ah, those good old school days! Morning assemblies, afternoon sports, and, best of all, finishing the day by 3 pm. Such simpler times, right? Or perhaps not so simple for working grandparents who struggle to arrange their schedules around their grandchild's school day.

The traditional 9 am to 3 pm classroom timetable has come under fire for being 'sexist', a 'relic of a sexist, bygone era', and even detrimental to working mums. Jordan Lane, a fresh-faced Liberal MP, recently made headlines for challenging the current school hours and advocating for an extension of the school day until 6 pm.

At only 28 years old, Mr Lane became MP for Ryde with a slim 54-vote margin in the New South Wales election in March. He made a splash with his maiden speech, where he critiqued the outdated classroom hours.

'The great travesty of public policy would be if the education system of the 2050s looks as it did when it was established in the 1950s,' he said. 'It is a relic of a sexist, bygone era where society assumed women stayed at home and were responsible for the school pick-up.'

View attachment 21287

New MP Jordan Lane calls for an extension to school hours. Credit: Facebook.

As many of you may have experienced yourself, the pressures of modern life have changed drastically since then. More often than not, many adults and caretakers now work outside the home, and coordinating work schedules with school drop-offs and pick-ups can be challenging for many families.

Mr Lane, who was formerly the youngest mayor in NSW, called for extending the school day so it would 'be more accommodating of modern employment'. He envisions schools becoming 'hubs for after-school activity' where the government guarantees children can stay on campus until 6 pm.

This proposal would offer 'parents flexibility while at the same time making school a place for extracurricular excellence'.

The additional hours in school would be filled with activities like coding, art, music, language, sport, and theatre, providing children with a 'more rounded experience'.

This isn't the first time such an idea has been suggested in the NSW parliament. The former Premier, Dominic Perrottet, introduced a pilot program in nine schools during Terms 3 and 4 of 2022.

'In my view, 9 am until 3 pm doesn't work,' said Mr Perrottet. 'You've also got challenges with before and after school, you've got childcare issues, and you've got early childhood education.'

Besides the support from the former education minister, Sarah Mitchell, the proposal has unsurprisingly outraged many social media users. Critics claim that extending school hours could erode a child's free time and leisure, stressing that 'children aren't here to cater to our needs'.

Key Takeaways

• A fresh-faced Liberal MP, Jordan Lane, has suggested extending school hours to 6 pm because the traditional 9 am to 3 pm classroom times are a 'relic of a sexist, bygone era'.
• Mr Lane has called for schools to become hubs for after-school activity and for the government to guarantee that a child can remain on school campuses until 6 pm.
• The proposed extended hours would allow for a 'more rounded experience' by doing classes on various subjects like coding, art, music, language, sport, and theatre.
• Some social media users were critical of Mr Lane's proposal, stating that children need time to relax and be kids.

Although controversial, this discussion shines a light on the struggles faced by many working parents and grandparents and raises important questions: Are extended school hours the answer? Or is there a need to revisit the balance between work and family life in general?

What do you think, dear readers? Have you had to juggle the school drop-off and pick-up for your grandkids? Would this change make life easier for you or people you know? We'd love to hear your opinions on this matter. Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!

For many children this is already the norm. Before snd after school care is essential for working parents. But not sure making it compulsory for everyone would work. Many also have private after school sports.

 

[byethebye]

May just be the answer to many hard-working parents and grandparents who assist family with children daily. I've always wondered why schools do not do after school activity and sport. It would surely save, juvenile crime to a degree and give the children exercise and less time on devices.

 

[Lauren]

And when would we have time to teach our çhildren all the other things about life and have family time.

 

[Cyberchook]

I feel they (the politicians) are only seeing school as an elaborate baby sitting service, what about education? How is it going to change for the better. Instead of just extending the hours what plans are made to improve the system and WHO will pay?

The teachers who are worn the bone already.

 

[myopinion]

Many schools, at least here in Victoria, already have Before and After-School Care progeams which offer breakfast, afternoon tea and excellent supervised activities for primary-aged children. Hours are generally from at 7.30am untl 9am and then from the end of the school day until 6pm. School Holidays Care Programs are also provided in many of our Victorian primary schools. Costs for these prigrams sre subsidused by the givernment and parents pay a fee based on their individual circumstances.

Many, if not most schools also offer after schol sporting activities, including dance and martial arts options, run by qualified coaches.

It is possible that other states do not have these programs although I would be surprused if they don't. Maybe this Minister could do some active research before decrying apparently 'sexist' (!?) school hours.

You have said what I was going to say. I know of one school in an industrial area which found a lot of children of all ages being dropped off so Mum and Dad could clock on by 7.30am often with no breakfast, cold and nothing to do. The School Council established a free breakfast program. A case of the community working to assist.

 

[Viellarde]

The employed community wants to work less hours a day or less days a week, and yet it is suggested our children should be in a school environment 9hours a day? Who would enjoy extra activities at school?

 

[PepeLePew]

Stupidest ide4a I have ever heard of.
My 2 eldest grandchildren (both now finished High School) had an after school job at different KFC's which they got in Gr. 10. One was saving to buy a car when license was obtained and the other was saving for Uni.
What happens to all of the children out there now who have after school/part time jobs, are they just supposed to give them up because some wanker thinks they would be better off staying in school for an extra 15hrs a wk when they can be out there learning what the real world is all about.
P.S. Child saving for car achieved this prior to end of Gr. 12 and due to having transport was able to get an apprenticeship in construction. The other one is now at Uni studying to become a Lawyer.
My 2 youngest grandkids (one is on the Autism Spectrum & the other is ADHD) have enough trouble now focusing on school work & staying out of trouble for the 6hrs that they are there, another 3hrs per day is NOT going to help them in any way. If anything it would cause the older ones anxiety to skyrocket through the roof and the younger ones medication would be gone out of his system way before 6pm and he would be running absolutely rampant.

 

[carosb13]

We are talking about children here, who should not have to endure even longer hours away from home. In the country, especially on farms, children already have to catch buses as early as 7.30am (mine did), to start school at 9am, and don't get home until 4.45. This is a very long day for any young person, starting from 5 years old! In towns, many children would be walking home in the dark in winter.