Some Canberra colleges are set to reopen next week with scaled-back class timetables, prompting questions over why students are missing out on learning time at a key juncture in their education.
However, the ACT secondary schools board remains "extremely confident" that students will be properly prepared for final year assessments.
The board's executive director also said there was "no real evidence" that senior school students had been deprived of learning opportunities despite the unprecedented disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Year 11 and 12 students will be able to return to their campuses from Monday, in the first wave of the staggered return of face-to-face learning at ACT public schools.
Although all campuses will be open, college students are expected to split their time between remote and in-class learning. Most classes are expected to conducted online, with practical subjects, such as art, to be taught face-to-face.
Each of the colleges has been given the flexibility to tailor their approach to suit their own needs.
At the latest hearing in the inquiry into the Barr government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Opposition leader Alistair Coe pressed education directorate officials for confirmation that some colleges were reopening next week with reduced class timetables.
Mr Coe said he had seen one timetable in which classes only ran between 9am and 1pm. The Canberra Times has seen a timetable which showed classes ending at 1.15pm on four out of the five days, with the other finishing up at 3.30pm.
During a back-and-forth with education directorate boss Katy Haire on Thursday morning, Mr Coe pushed for an explanation on the need to "cut hours a day from a child's education".
Ms Haire did not respond directly to Mr Coe's question, but said it was important to note that the structure of the timetable "does not, and will not, translate to students receiving less of an education".
She said the hybrid learning model was intended to cause the least disruption to senior secondary students as they transitioned back to classroom learning.
"The driver behind the way that the colleges were choosing to go back to on-campus learning was to ensure that students can pick up and continue from where they are right now," she said.
"The teachers have prepared and have a range of materials ready for online learning, which can quickly be turned into online learning and face-to-face."
Pressed to explain why that meant timetables had to be reduced, Ms Haire said colleges needed to factor in the availability of teachers to work with students.
Ms Haire did respond directly when asked if there were enough teachers to deliver a full schedule of classes, although she did mention that a number of colleges had staff members who were in the "high-risk" category for COVID-19.
"The way colleges are organising themselves is much more to do with ensuring the best possible educational outcomes for students," she said.
After the hearing, opposition education spokeswoman Elizabeth Lee said it was "extraordinary" that students weren't being given clear answers as to why their timetables had been "slashed".
"The school community desperately wants certainty, and parents want peace of mind that their children's education is back on track," she said.
"Once again, this government has made it clear that the education, development and wellbeing of Canberra students is not a priority."
ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies executive director Martin Watson told the inquiry that there was "no real evidence" to indicate students had been "deprived of any learning opportunities" as a consequence of the shift to remote learning.
Mr Watson said he was "extremely confident" that students would be well prepared for assessments.
He said it was planning to conduct the AST assessment as scheduled, although it was looking at options to conduct it as one single test, rather than three. The scaling test could also be held later in the year if needed, he said.
Students have already been provided guarantees that they will receive an ATAR this year if they meet the requirements.
Mr Watson said the The ACT's model of ongoing school-based assessment, with no external subject exams, meant that students would not be negatively affected by outside factors.
"It is almost like we designed the system for the current circumstances," he said.
