An IT bungle has left thousands of Queensland Year 12 students angry and upset after they were sent a late-night email saying they wouldn’t be getting a university entrance score.
The message from the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre landed in inboxes just after midnight on Saturday telling 24,000 students they were ineligible for an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, vital for their entry to university.
It left them stressed and angry, many taking to social media to express outrage.
“Can you explain why, at 12:03AM, myself and many other former Year 12 students received an email stating that we were ineligible for an ATAR rank?” Lochlan Ibbertson asked on the QTAC’s Facebook page.
“This email that was sent out has sparked and reignited numerous mental health issues and has lead to many students suffering unnecessarily.
“This is a disgrace, and I for one hope that the person responsible for this is held to account.”
QTAC has since apologised, saying the email was accidentally sent while testing “ATAR processes ahead of the statewide release on Saturday, December 19”.
“As there is no data currently in the system, students may have received a notification that they are ATAR ineligible,” chief executive John Griffiths said in a statement released about midday.
“QTAC acknowledges this technical error and deeply apologises to our Year 12 cohort, this has no doubt caused additional anxiety during what has already been a trying year for our school community.”
Queensland opposition spokesman for education Christian Rowan said the situation was heartbreaking and concerning for students.
“Our Year 12 students in Queensland have suffered an incredibly difficult year with COVID-19, with formals and other events cancelled,” he told reporters.
“There will still be many students at this point who aren’t aware that it is an error, therefore, there needs to be clear and transparent explanation to them … from the minister.”
“It’s a stressful time and students put in a lot of effort through Year 12.”
Student Ella Gilmore, 18, said she became scared when she read the email.
“I got quite panicked when it first arrived,” she told AAP.
“My school friends are all talking on group chat and they were all scared too.
“But we’ve figured out it is probably a mistake when we saw everyone in the state got the same email.”
Ella’s mum Anna was surprised by QTAC’s slow response explaining what happened and said it wasn’t good enough.
“A lot of kids would have been up late and seen it when first arrived. It’s all over my kid’s school parents Facebook page,” she said.
Parent Danielle Cassar expressed her frustration on the QTAC Facebook page.
“This is cruel and unnecessary. These kids have been through enough,” she wrote.
“Hopefully someone can explain this because it’s not good my daughter is so stressed from this email.”
The ATAR system is in operation for the first time in Queensland this year.