SCHOOLS should be preparing to focus on educating children not survival tactics, according to Australian Education Union state president Terry Polglase.
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On his first day in the job as state union president Mr Polglase said if the School Viability Reference Group's report, released yesterday, was accepted by the government in two months the formal process timeline to determine school closures could see them lose focus of what they were actually supposed to be doing, teaching.
He said the timeline recommending a June-July start and then notification to schools if they were being considered for closure in August-September was too short a period.
``We're about to start a school year, we're on the road to getting on with things and this is taking their mind of educating and they'll spend all their time on thinking about survival.''
Mr Polglase said there had to be a proper consultative, transparent process with all schools and this could take 18-months.
At least five Northern primary schools from the state government's 2011 closures hit-list could face the chopping block again under new viability guidelines.
The schools, which were all on the original list of 20 schools slated for possible closure last year, would struggle to meet a critical benchmark under recommendations released yesterday.
The School Viability Reference Group report listed enrolment of 100 pupils as a ``starting point'' for rural primary schools.
Avoca, Bracknell, Meander, Mole Creek and Ringarooma primary school enrolments were all under that mark at the start of 2011.
However, those schools may meet other viability criteria.
The state opposition claimed the new criteria meant 48 Tasmanian schools could be on the government's hit-list - 18 of them from the original government list of 20 last year.
The 74-page report from the group chaired by Royce Fairbrother delivered eight recommendations yesterday.
Central recommendations included a review of school boundaries and catchments, a review of enrolment and attendance guidelines and also of transport.
Education Minister Nick McKim released the report only an hour after receiving it, saying the government wished to remain transparent during the process.
``What I can say about this report is that certainly it acknowledges that what we need to do is be far more consultative and engage far better and earlier than we previously did through the previous process, which I abandoned,'' Mr McKim said.
Mr Fairbrother said it was important that all schools took the opportunity to consider what they could do to improve their viability instead of always trying to blame others for problems.
