The Victorian Government is extending its catch-up tutoring scheme.

Victorian schools will receive an extra $230 million for tutors next year for students who have fallen behind in their learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money is intended to catch those at risk of disengaging from school entirely. 

The newly-announced investment for 2022 follows this year’s $250 million in tutor learning funds, which saw thousands of retired and pre-service teachers recruited to help students with their studies.

The government says the students that struggle the most during the pandemic include those with low levels of English, students already at risk of disengaging from school, or those with home environments not conducive to online learning.

Grattan Institute school education program director, Jordana Hunter, says it is an important investment.

“Students in Victoria have been asked to sacrifice a lot in the fight against COVID in 2021 after a rotten year in 2020, so it’s important that we do what we can to get those kids back on track,” Ms Hunter said.

“We know some kids have really found remote learning challenging with both accessing the content but also levels of engagement over time, so we would be expecting that some kids may be well behind their peers.”