Canberra teachers will be taught to spot students at risk of becoming violent extremists when school returns next year, despite an anti-terror expert warning such programs are unnecessary and potentially harmful.
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Secondary school leaders from public and private schools will attend a session on countering violent extremism in term one after receiving a briefing on the same topic this term.
Asked what signs ACT teachers would be told to watch out for, the Education Directorate did not give specifics, instead pointing to federal government resources. Those fact sheets warn someone may be inching towards violent extremism when they've isolated themselves from family and friends and start advocating violence in the name of an ideological, political or religious goal.
Some Australian teens have turned to terrorism in recent years. In 2015, Melbourne 18-year-old Jake Bilardi died in an Iraq suicide attack after being courted by terrorist organisation Jabhat al-Nusra.
Nineteen-year-old Raban Alou this year pleaded guilty to helping radicalised 15-year-old Farhad Mohammad fatally attack Sydney policeman Curtis Cheng.
But Australian National University counter-terrorism expert Clarke Jones said the risk of Canberra teens becoming extremists was low, warning awareness-raising programs could lead to certain community groups becoming stigmatised and isolated.
"I can understand that the government's concerned about violent extremism, but in reality - and particularly in Canberra - there are far more pressing issues," he said.
"Canberra doesn't have an issue of violent extremism."
The training will be delivered by the Education Directorate at the territory government's direction using federal government materials.
It will be a first for the ACT after it was discussed at a 2015 Council of Australian Governments meeting. Asked whether the directorate was concerned about violent extremism among Canberra students, a spokesman said, "The directorate is satisfied with the current systems and supports in place."
The Education Directorate spokesman said the awareness training would help Canberra teachers recognise the early warning signs of radicalisation, support at-risk students, include strategies for prevention and early intervention, and point to resources aimed at building students' resilience.
Methods of early intervention already in use included everyday activities such as assemblies, extra-curricular activities and lessons on inclusion and social and emotional learning, the spokesman said.
"The directorate continues to work with the Australian government and other jurisdictions to review and develop resources and procedures to support students at risk of extremism," he said.
"Student support teams in schools regularly review how different students are travelling, and if there are concerns work with the student and their families to address any concerns."
Dr Jones agreed helping students feel connected to their school communities was the most effective strategy in preventing violent extremism.
"There's a lot of high-achieving schools in the ACT, so this is what I don't understand - the ACT are doing well so why would we want to jeopardise it with some sort of program that hasn't been put out to test," he said.
The ACT government is also investigating the vulnerabilities of eight Canberra bus interchanges and depots to potential terrorism attacks, it was revealed last week.
