Truancy talk needs input of students
Truancy has been a popular topic in political speeches and general social discourse lately, prompted mostly by National and Act’s campaigning last year on greater use of prosecutions and fines of parents in cases of chronic absenteeism.
The coalition parties refer to what they call a “truancy crisis” and have announced an “attendance action plan” to address it.
The numbers point towards a definite issue: Chronic absenteeism — encompassing students who attend school less than 70 per cent of the time — sits at 12.6 per cent, after being about 7-8 per cent in earlier years. According to data released last December, only 46 per cent of school pupils attended school more than 90 per cent of the time in the final term of last year — down from 63 per cent in the third term of 2019, before the Covid pandemic.
Mā ori and Pasifika students had the lowest regular attendance rates at 34 per cent. For Pā kehā students, the rate was 48 per cent, and for Asian students 58 per cent. For Mā ori students, the chronic absence figure was 20 per cent, and for Pasifika students 21 per cent, while 10 per cent of Pā kehā and 8 per cent of Asian students were regularly absent. The Ministry of Education figures also showed differences between regions and age groups.
This is not a New Zealand-specific problem but rather a worldwide trend, compounded by the pandemic.
On social media, parents speak of instances of bullying that are not being handled appropriately, of children being too afraid to go to school. The cost of school uniforms and other education expenses has also been cited as a barrier for many families. But the opinions of the schoolchildren themselves keep being ignored.
Herald journalist Jaime Lyth spoke to some students on why they decide to wag school. In the process, she dispelled the myth that wagging is the domain of “low achievers” and confirmed the motives are varied. Reasons include finding school just plain boring, having issues with teachers, instances of racism, and because they need to take on paid work to help their families.
In the Government’s Attendance Action Plan, which David Seymour is in charge of overseeing, there are proposed fines for parents of truants. Under the Education and Training Act, parents can be convicted and fined if their children are not regularly attending school. Practical assistance to help lift young people’s attendance rates, such as uniform subsidies or public transport discounts, were “not on our agenda”, Seymour said.
He has stated that “we’re going to have to start being a bit clearer about what exactly is a valid reason to stay home”. He was talking specifically about health, but the quote is telling overall.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution because there is no single cause. Instead of punishing families, many of which are already going through hardships, we should address the causes. And to do so, we must engage with the students.
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