Image from left to right: Vanessa Barry, Head of St.George Foundation; Megan Gilmour, Chair of MissingSchool; Andrew Barr, ACT Chief Minister.
We are excited to be gearing up for the start of our national pilot which sets to roll out 75 telepresence robots across Australia over the next three years. Thanks to the St.George Foundation Inspire Grant, Missing School has up to $600,000 to demonstrate how we can keep seriously sick kids in a two-way connection with their schools. For more information, go to missingschool.org.au/technology Telepresence allows kids who are away from school to be seen and heard in their classrooms, and learn from their teachers with their classmates. The pilot is intended to be a catalyst for long-term solutions for sick kids that integrates connection between hospital, home and school. It can support all students to learn about inclusion through applied STEM.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry has agreed to explore a limited trial making the ACT the first jurisdiction in the national pilot, and one of only a handful in the world to trial this solution. Chief Minister Andrew Barr joined our recent announcement from the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children (ACT), affirming the ACT’s push to strengthen inclusion and innovation in ACT schools and its leadership in school connectivity and digital transformation. The approach MissingSchool is pursuing demonstrates the way complex social challenges can be tackled by combining the strengths of government, private sector, and not for profits.
