The real reasons kids miss school

It’s a positive initiative that the Government is addressing truancy and launching an attendance action plan.

Covid is only one factor in poor school attendance, and truancy numbers have been increasing since 2015. Associate Education Minister David Seymour wants to start being a bit clearer about what exactly is a valid reason to stay home; illness is one factor among many systemic issues, but it isn’t the role of the Government to measure an appropriate level of illness for a child to be kept at home.

The steepest drop in attendance has been in lower decile schools with a higher percentage of M¯aori and Pasifika students, and the reasons are many and varied for chronic absenteeism. Research has identified a major contributing factor is a lack of economic stability in employment, housing and affordable, accessible transport.

Many lower-income families need both parents to be wage earners to survive and children can become collateral damage when mental health issues, persistent bullying, and even the ability to afford a school uniform become barriers to a child consistently attending school.

It belies Seymour’s intelligence not to understand that many of these factors can be directly linked to government policies. There has been some success in the Far North working across agencies to reduce barriers for children attending, but as with all innovative and successful programmes they urgently require more financial support.

Increased productivity and future creative business development can’t be achieved with our current high percentage of children not gaining a qualification. It’s self-evident; low school attendance equals low employment prospects and a greater drain on the economy. What further proof do the Government and David Seymour need?