Ultimately, the buck stops with parents and caregivers, who can be fined if their children are truant. When did we become so complacent about school attendance? Where are these children if they’re not at school?
In November, Opposition Leader Christopher Luxon said increasing truancy rates were not just a moral and social failure but would lead to a future economic crisis.
It is strong language but if children aren’t attending high school, it doesn’t bode well for them heading into tertiary education or further training.
Truancy is being linked to reasons such as period issues, mental health, Covid lockdowns and the prohibitive costs of uniforms and stationery.
Student feedback on truancy also suggested school hours didn’t suit teenagers, who prefer a later start to the day.
I’d argue lots of employees would prefer the same but that isn’t the case in the workforce — or at least it’s not the norm yet.
National Party education spokeswoman Erica Stanford said this week’s truancy officer announcement was underwhelming and a rushed response to the late release of data from term three of last year.
She said the Government needed better data on the drivers of truancy and how many officers were employed in the role nationwide.
A new funding model needed more flexibility, she said, with schools able to address truancy in a way that suited their students. Results also needed to be measurable and school communities held accountable for the results of their efforts.
I agree. Throwing money at dozens of truancy officers seems like a dated approach. In my view, they were usually easy to outsmart, there weren’t enough of them and they spent all their time chasing the same handful of kids.
If schools can bring their community together to raise money for new sports facilities or library books, couldn’t we do the same to help families whose children’s attendance is hindered by the cost of uniforms or Chromebooks? Does charity not start at home?
Some of the barriers to attendance are the same ones that have been around for years. Students don’t like school; they are being bullied or they don’t have food to fill their lunchboxes.
Right now, though, the largest one seems to be a general complacency about kids going to school and there’s very little excuse for that.
Homeschooling is gaining in popularity, sure, but if absentee school kids are cruising the streets looking for trouble, doesn’t that make truancy sit firmly as an issue at a local community level?
I find it hard to believe the majority of parents don’t want their children to receive the free education on offer in New Zealand. Sure, it may not be perfect, but there’s a lot worse too, across the globe.
Mental health issues are among the barriers to attendance and I acknowledge that in more-serious and complex cases, this is absolutely true.
But lower levels of discomfort, angst and anxiety also go hand in hand with puberty and, in my opinion, they are not reasons to dodge an education you’ll probably appreciate later in life.
Anxiety thrives on an idle mind and in my experience as a sometimes-anxious teen, things escalated in the school holidays when the routine and sleep patterns fell away.
Being at school is not just about the academic learning in the classroom, it’s about the structure that prepares young people for ultimately being more independent after they leave home.
Yes, most of us have dipped our toes in the truancy trough. But to miss school day after day, week after week, does a long-lasting disservice to students, their families and the community.
Someone told me just today that if I were looking for a silver lining from the challenges of the past few years, it was that trauma and hardship build strength and community — tough times force people to look after one another. I believe that’s what the truancy issue calls for too.
Michele Hunter is a local business owner, mum of two school-age children and a former Bay of Plenty Times chief reporter. She is Tauranga born and bred — with opinions on most things. You’ll often find her by the water — sea or lake — enjoying all this great region has to offer.
