14 DAY TRIAL // The staff members of several Australian educational institutions from News South Wales (NSW) were shocked to receive an email from the director general of education and communities. The email criticized the government for the cuts to the education budget and even the country’s prime minister.
“By now you have been informed of some of the challenges public education now faces resulting from the cuts to the education budget proposed by the NSW Government,” the email read.
“It seems clear that with the current dismantling of TAFE NSW by the O'Farrell Government, schools will be the next to be downgraded to allow for lesser qualified facilitators to replace the currently qualified teachers to deliver the educational content to our children,” the “director” added.
“I can only hope that with enough formal protesting to the Ministers office, sensibility will prevail and that public education is not the victim of this short sighted NSW Government vision.”
However, as it later turned out, Michele Bruniges, the director general of education and communities, wasn’t responsible for the email, The Australian reports. Bruniges was on vacation when a hacker took over her email account and sent out the email to everyone he/she could find in the address book.
According to the Minister of Education Adrian Piccoli, after the incident was discovered, messages were sent to all staff to clarify that the controversial emails couldn’t have originated from the director or any of her subordinates.
The Information Technology Directorate has launched an investigation and the minister warns that, if found, the culprit will face the full force of the law.
In the meantime, according to Blacktown Advocate, the Education Department is attempting to prevent the hoax email from being re-sent.