Opinion: The headline number jumps out at you like a zombie mask on Halloween: more than 80,000 of our school-age youngsters were absent for at least three weeks in Term 2 of this year, according to data released by the Education Review Office. Its report, “Left Behind”, says chronic absence rates have doubled in secondary schools and nearly tripled in primary schools since 2015.
Chronic absenteeism means a student is missing more than 30% of school a term – more than three days a fortnight, the report says. In my day, we called it “wagging” and plenty of people did it or walked out of school at any old time (via the school’s top gate). But the records kept were not overly reliable.
Better data gathering means we now have a much clearer picture of what’s going on – and it’s not pretty.
When these youngsters were spoken to for the research, they couldn’t, by and large, point to using the time out of school wisely. Many were involved in anti-social behaviour and petty crimes. If some did well, they were largely the exceptions; those who did return had fallen behind and were anxious in the extreme.
This rate of truancy means our nationwide academic results get worse and, in comparison to the rest of the world, New Zealand slips further behind. In short, there are serious consequences for the kids who don’t go to school and for the country.
But even the kids who are present are part of a system that encourages participation rather than excellence. We tick boxes and say they were in class, but what they did in the classroom is now being more seriously questioned given that international rankings paint a picture of our students missing in action, not being pushed and not pushing themselves.
Constantly telling our kids that they’re smart and well-behaved doesn’t make them smart or put them in the queue for the best jobs in future.
One of our very best exports is Jamie Beaton who, at age 29, has at least seven degrees, including a doctorate, and is the co-founder and CEO of Crimson Education, a global university admissions consultancy valued at more than NZ$1 billion. He’s a walking advertisement for educational achievement at the highest level, and now puts the smartest kids through his online programmes. Yet he’s noticed that being smart and successful is not just about having a rock-star IQ; equally important is preparation, attitude and enthusiasm, having a work ethic and time-management abilities.
These are the qualities that frequently set a person up for success, whereas being disengaged from school as a teenager – or younger – means it’s more likely they’re going to struggle in life.
Maybe we’ve got too many people working on finding solutions when the real answers lie with schools, teachers and communities.
The government is talking tough about fining and even prosecuting parents, but some principals say they don’t believe this is anywhere near what’s needed to start to solve the problem. Some are not waiting for government instruction – or they don’t believe the idea to target, fine and even prosecute parents is anywhere near what is needed. They’re asking the “chronically absent” more about why they wag and what’s the answer – attempting to build a bigger picture of who these kids are and what their motivations are.
The issues (as with the answers) can be complex and involve things like anxiety and mental health, looking after younger brothers and sisters because mum and dads do shift work, and not being able to afford the bus fare to school.
Really, the $1.50 bus fare is stopping them from going to school? Yes, say some principals. So some schools have started picking up pupils from home, and those kids have barely missed a day since.
Maybe we’ve got too many people working on finding solutions when the real answers lie with schools, teachers and communities – and “back to basics” like asking students why they’re not attending or paying their bus fare.
The government scrapped public transport subsidises in May, which meant it became more expensive to get to school. So, maybe it needs to bring the subsidies back. It could be the best investment it makes.
