School’s back for the year. We have a huge challenge to turn around the truancy epidemic that has become worse since 2020.
It was no surprise that school attendance suffered after the unprecedented disruption of Covid. Our children lost the routine and expectation of regularly attending school. The problem has worsened over the past three years.
The Ministry of Education defines regular attendance as being present 90% of the time, or not missing more than one day a fortnight. The latest data for 2023 shows attendance declined nationally to an all-time low of 45.9%. Our region of Nelson-Marlborough-West Coast was third on the Ministry’s list of 10 regions, behind Canterbury and Otago, but still at only 47.2%.
The data also shows the problem gets progressively worse from Years 6 to 13, with regular attendance nationally down to just 31.3% at Year 13. Girls’ attendance is slightly worse than boys, by 1%. Asian regular attendance is at 57.8%, European/Pakeha 47.5%, Pasifika 33.8% and Māori at 33.7%.
It is a disaster in the making to have only half of our children attending school regularly. The research is unequivocal that regular attendance at school results in improved wellbeing and educational attainment. There is also a clear correlation between the areas with low attendance and spiralling youth crime. There is truth in the old biblical saying that idle hands are the devil's workshop.
Poor attendance is also awful economics. It costs more than $8000 per year for primary schooling and $10,000 for secondary, equating to $200 and $250 per week. We are wasting more than $1 billion a year of taxpayers’ money on education for children who are not there.
The Government has invested in a new school attendance service with three dedicated staff in Nelson but it’s mission impossible with more than 2000 pupils in Nelson not regularly attending school. They are focused on those not enrolled at any school and those chronically truant. Nelson has great schools and teachers but they need the help of every household and community group to turn this around. The future of our youth and city depends on it.
