Wellington
Rise in truancy among New Zealand students. Chronic absenteeism has doubled in secondary schools and nearly tripled in primary schools over the past ten years. The report, published on Wednesday, describes the current system for addressing truancy as “ineffective and failing.”
According to the report, one in ten students were chronically absent during Term Two of this year, with over 80,000 students missing more than three weeks of school. Associate Education Minister David Seymour called the situation a truancy crisis, highlighting its detrimental impact on students’ futures.
Ruth Shinoda, head of ERO’s Education Evaluation Center, emphasized the serious consequences of chronic absenteeism. Students who frequently miss school are more likely to offend, become victims of crime, and end up in social or emergency housing as adults. By age 20, these students can cost the government three times as much as their peers who attend school regularly.
Despite the efforts of schools and attendance services, the report criticizes the current approach as ineffective. It notes a lack of understanding about the implications of truancy, delayed interventions, and poor information sharing among agencies.
In response to the crisis, the government has initiated a nationwide discussion involving various ministries, including education, social development, and police, to create better information sharing agreements and develop more effective solutions to combat truancy.
