The truancy crisis

This chart shows the number of students who are absent from school more than 10% of the time. In eight years it has gone from 135,000 to 315,000.

And what is the Government’s answer to this. Stuff reports:

“Do we have a culture of excuses for children not being at school? Like somehow it is the school’s fault for not being exciting enough?” Goldsmith asked.

“What I’m seeing is lots of talk, lots of concern, but still a culture of excuses.”

Secretary for Education Iona Holsted said prosecution was not the answer and schools needed to be desirable.

“The answer is to make sure schools are places kids want to be, because they have alternatives. They walk,” Holsted said.

This is, with respect, bullshit. First of all what part of “compulsory education” is hard to understand.

But the truancy is not something happening just with say bored teenagers. It is in every year.

The Year 2 truancy rate has climbed from 29% to 43%. Is the Government really saying that this is because six year olds have alternatives??? Do we really think six year olds are not attending because they don’t see school as desirable?

This is a parenting issue. We need to stop blaming everything on the system and start talking personal responsibility.