More than half of Kiwi kids not at school regularly
Hon Erica Stanford MP
Member of Parliament for East Coast Bays. Minister of Education. Minister of Immigration.
Worsening attendance data shows that half of New Zealand’s students are not attending school regularly, risking a generation of children being left behind, National’s Education spokesperson Erica Stanford says.
“Latest truancy data shows that just 46 per cent of students attended school regularly in the first term of 2022 – down from 65 per cent in term four last year.
“This means that 386,000 kids across New Zealand failed to show up for class regularly. The data for students in decile 1-3 schools is even more alarming, with less than one-third recording full attendance.
“In addition, more than 100,000 students were chronically absent from school, meaning they attended less than 70 per cent of school time. That is a staggering rise from 68,000 in term four of last year, and 38,000 back in 2017. These students are at the greatest risk of becoming even more disengaged with education, which will have serious consequences for their futures.
“This follows last week’s data on benefit dependency, which showed that 50,000 more people are receiving the jobseeker benefit than when Labour took office, including 11,200 under the age of 25. Addressing the truancy epidemic is one of the most important things we can do to stop the growth in benefit dependency over the long term.
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"Without urgent action now, this Government stands to fail a generation of kids who will not get the education they deserve to be successful.
“National has warned the Government that it needs to do everything it can to get our children back to school. This should be the number one priority for the Ministry of Education, yet none of their 4,000 staff are employed to improve attendance rates.
“Despite the Government issuing a press release over two years ago saying that school attendance has to improve, it has continued to get worse under a Labour Government that consistently fails to deliver for New Zealanders.
“This is not just a social failure but a future economic crisis. Labour’s lack of delivery is failing a generation of children.”
Creative Kitchens & Interiors
2yWait for it, the old chestnut is coming from Labour, “it’s Covid related” it seems to be blamed for everything.
Mechanical Technician at South African Antarctic Program
2yKids do as they please,as there's no repercussions, parents and teachers have their hands tied. Sad fact of life, a generation of entitled, gender confused, internet addicted kids who are shocked when they enter the 'real world' and can't cope. Then the blame game starts, as it's never their fault.
Trusted Advisor, Systemic-Psychodynamic Coach, President
2yWhat about improving the school system and definitely improving teaching/learning methods/purpose and curriculum content? I believe that would serve society better than any enforcement actions or politically motivated statements or declarations.
Director at Red's Roofing and Repairs Ltd
2yThe group of people that have the highest health issues isn’t a race, it’s their socioeconomic standing. The biggest sign of someone having a poor out come in life is their education. What if we were to incentivise those on government subsides to have their children attend school, something they should be doing anyway. Pay the families $X per week, per child, that the child is attending school, unless there is a valid reason not for attendance. Pay the families $X at the end of the school year, per child, that the children have had high attendence and are performing to an acceptable standard. Free lunches for all public schools regardless of decile rating Maybe this way you will get some of these parents out there taking a greater interest in their childrens education. We won’t see results straight away but it will happen.
'People Helper' (Business Consultant/ Advisor, Commerce Lecturer), Author
2yErica, are there readily available reports identifying "known" (not speculated) causation factors ? I'd be interested to read such insights. Thanks.