Let students do the rapid antigen testing heavy lifting

So the confusion over how the tests get from school to home is hard to understand.

Different methods are used by different schools. Sometimes, the student takes the tests home but sometimes the parent is expected to go in and collect them at specified times.

Some public school parents say they have been given impractically short periods to pick up two tests per child. For those with two children at different schools, it has been a time-consuming task which has eaten into their normal working day.

There's an easy way around this: let the children do the transportation, valuable though the tests undoubtedly are.

Perhaps the fear of the schools is that children carrying the tests home might be set upon by highway robbers, keen to get the sought-after items out onto the black market to make a fortune.

We are not so worried. Young people know how to look after themselves. They keep a firm hold of smartphones worth a lot more money than any pack of swabs and the rest of the testing paraphernalia.

It's true that on the black market, the double pack might be worth about $50. We know this because the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said that some people were paying as much as $24 per test. Price-gouging, it seems, is rife.

The ACCC said it received almost 3900 reports from consumers about the RATs (as the tests have unfortunately come to be called) between December 25 and January 26. That's an average of 121 complaints a day.

There is clearly a market for the tests provided free to families. It will be interesting to see if any of these tests find their way onto that black market.

"We have confidence that the overwhelming majority of Canberra families appreciate the provision of these RATs through their schools and will use them appropriately," an ACT government spokeswoman said.

Appropriate use consists in following the instructions on the pack and reporting any positive tests to schools and authorities - and not satisfying the market demand by diverting the tests and making a tidy profit.

On the distribution, though, some or perhaps many of Canberra's Catholic schools have been sensible. They have let the students do the heavy lifting. The eldest child of each family has been given the tests to take home to their parents.

This stratagem has worked out so far: we are yet to hear of any of these students being way-laid and their treasure stolen.

It's true that the distribution has been a logistical task. The ACT government said that 100,717 tests were delivered to schools on Tuesday and that all schools have enough supplies for two weeks.

It also said that a review of distribution would take place. The Education Directorate was "looking for ways to improve the process for future weeks".

This is all to the good. We hope that when the next batch has to be transported from school to home a little more common sense - and student shoe leather - is used.

"Parents and carers should keep an eye out for communication from their school about how to get their next pack of RATs."

This is the testing new world in which we live.

It would be nice if children could concentrate more on old-style testing their knowledge and less on testing their health - but that is not the way it's going to be.