Reporter JACKSON WORTHINGTON sat down with Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff to discuss how the Tasmanian system coped. What follows is a transcript of that conversation lightly edited for length and clarity.

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JW: What were your highlights for the year of education this year?

JR: Well, the highlight of the year was getting through the year that was.

The community was quite divided on whether or not we should be closing schools or not. I believe we made the right decision in keeping our school sites open but, of course, having the learning opportunities at home.

Being able to work through all of those issues and also my genuine concerns were around the senior secondary students, our Year 11 and 12 students.

It's a nervous time anyway let alone the disruption of the pandemic. So a huge highlight for me was at the end of the year we had some 11,500 students, senior secondary students complete their exam. An increase in the preliminary results in terms of TCE attainment was also very pleasing.

It has been a pandemic year across all portfolios but education at a particular point in time caused a lot of angst within the community.

JW: It must have been nice to see everyone within that system step up?

JR: It was uplifting in fact. One of the pleasing things was the very regular meetings we had every couple of days, through that more intense time, with all three sector heads of education - working through issues, trying to make sure that our policies and our communications align so no sector was sending out mixed messages.

But, also the work that we did with the Australian Education Union.

Any parent across Tasmania, if they didn't have already and I am sure they did, would have a greater appreciation of our teachers, our teacher's assistants and all involved in our school system.

JW: Could we see remote learning become part of the system going forward?

JR: It is quite possible. Of course, we do have a home education system as well which strengthened in terms of its accountability with the 2016 Education Act.

But, if we are building an education system based on equity - and that's what we are - in terms of ensuring students with disabilities, students affected by trauma and all our students that have barriers to learns, we need to look at how we can break down those barriers.

Some of it may well be working with students to ensure they are still learning but it might well be in a home environment if that best suits them and their family.

JW: In 2019 the government launched need-based funding for students with disabilities - how did the roll out go?

JR: It went largely very well. It was a big shift in thinking and also required greater investment. As you would expect with such a major reform process there were a few issues that we had to resolve and we worked through with individual families and schools.

Some of those issues were around communicating the new system and getting a full understanding of the new system but, given that we had relatively few concerns expressed about the new system I have to say it was been very, very successful.

JW: Did the pandemic limit the rollout of this new funding model in any way?

JR: We had to be more mindful of how we supported our students with a disability in the online and learning from the home, environment. That was achieved largely to my knowledge.

It would have presented more challenges for our principals, our teachers and our teachers' assistants at the coal face but we are working through that as a system based on continuous improvement.

Adding to that is our additional resource for trauma-informed practice and supporting our students with trauma which also commenced this year.

That is again another barrier to learning of which we need to ensure we support our students and the professional development of our workforce.

JW: How important is it to improve graduation rates?

JR: It is very important. This year was the first year that the implementation of the Education Act of 2016 commenced in terms of the leaving age.

This year was the year that our students had to complete Year 12, or turn 18, or be engaged in vocational education at a Certificate III-level or more or find a full-time job. We've had a 10 per cent increase in our TCE attainment [and] our attention seems to be increasing as well but we need to do better for that.

JW: Is increasing access to extension schools a key part of your plan going forward?

JR: It is important yes. We've got 47 schools that have extended [and] we've got more schools extending this year including a number in your patch.

The extension schools number of students increased per cent this year so it is working. It is giving people choice and opportunity. It again breaks down barriers to learning.

Our colleges are an important part of that system because more than 90 per cent of our students go to our colleges and that is important to remember.

We are seeing very good partnerships developing between our high schools and our colleges in that.

[They're] becoming one system where we are providing an opportunity for furthering education for students in year 11 and 12 irrespective of circumstance, their background or where they live.

JW: How important is improving adult education in Tasmania, where the workforce has typically been under-skilled?

JR: The adult learning strategy is vital to increase community participation in the workforce. We still have very concerning adult illiteracy and we have got a very clear target of 100 per cent functional literacy.

That is a lot and that is a big objective and huge aspiration but is has got to be the aspiration given that about half of our community are functionally illiterate.

JW: Is improving digital literacy part of that process?

JR: Yes. What the pandemic showed us with online learning is how important digital literacy and information to technology is. That experience highlighted the areas for improvement and some gaps. We need to fill them.

JW: Do you have a timeline for when the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in the school system is likely to report its findings?

JR: We announced the inquiry on August 24 last year. We believe that survivors of child sexual abuse within our schooling system over a number of decades need comfort and the opportunity of closure.

We also need, as an education system, to ensure that while processes have been enormously improved since the implementation of the act in 2013, we have thought of every possible thing to ensure the safety of kids in our schools.

So the inquiry will look at past practices but also ensure that we have thought of every single possible area across our education system to ensure the protection of our kids. That inquiry is progressing now and my absolute main objective from that is for it to be thorough.

JW: Do you have any date on when you are expecting findings from that inquiry?

JR: In terms of the final report not as yet. We got two very capable people in Tim McCormack and Stephen Smallbone leading that inquiry and I am content with the progress.

We just want that to be very thorough.

JW: Will the findings of that inquiry be shared with the commission of inquiry into the broader Tasmanian public service?

JR: It will form part of the wider inquiry is my understanding, yes and that is important.