Today’s Herald-Sun has an article about the planned “Schools strike 4 climate” on Friday. The article focuses on a ‘Climate Doctor’s Certificate‘ that students can personalise and download. The ‘certificate’ is signed by University of Melbourne and Australian National University climate scientists David Karoly and Nick Abel.
According to the article, “Students chucking a sicky to attend a national climate rally will have access to a mock medical certificate signed by professors from two leading Australian universities, indicating a “major climate health concern” is preventing them from being in the classroom…The certificate says strikers are experiencing symptoms of “increased anxiety”, “elevated stress” and “feelings of despair”, and thus the doctor recommends they “take a sick day to protest for a sick planet”.”
Our CEO, Gail McHardy is quoted in the article:
Parents Victoria CEO Gail McHardy has welcomed the innovative idea, so long as the document doesn’t genuinely certify a student has been ill.
“Students are constantly encouraged to be active learners, learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom and it’s important for students as they develop into responsible adults,” she said.
Ms McHardy also encouraged students under 16 to come to a decision with their parents about whether they should attend the rally.
Here are Gail’s comments in full, as supplied to the Herald-Sun:
On PV’s stance on the climate strike:
“School attendance is important and absence has an impact, students like everyone else do have the right to political protest, especially when actively engaging in the climate change issue which is global in scope and unprecedented in scale.
Students are constantly encouraged to be active learners, learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom and it’s important for students as they develop into responsible adults.”
On the ‘medical certificate’:
“We’ve seen in previous years that students do take up this day of strike action. So long as the certificate is not portrayed as a genuine medical certificate that certifies that the student has been ill.”
On parents’ attitude to the strike and the medical certificate:
“For those students under 16 we would hope that they have spoken with their parents and carers to decide together on the action.”
On whether PV supports the ‘medical certificate’:
“It’s an innovative idea to support the issue of world and global importance.”
