News Item
Truant Crackdown
Melbourne Herald Sun
IAN HABERFIELD and MARY PAPADAKIS
11 December 2005
PARENTS are to be asked to "please explain" to principals when students do not attend school.
The move comes as new figures show Victorian students are wagging school on average one day a fortnight. Education Minister Lynne Kosky said that from next year the State Government would crack down on serial truants and hold parents accountable.
Ms Kosky said schools would send SMS messages to the parents of absent students, campaigns would highlight the impact of absenteeism and computer roll marking would identify truant students.
She said 99 per cent of absenteeism at primary levels and 92 per cent in secondary levels were health-related or parental choice.
"Truancy plays only a small part in students' absences," Ms Kosky said. "I don't have a problem with children being away because they are sick, but it is not acceptable for them to go on holidays or shopping."
Figures for the past five school years show students in years 8, 9 and 10 miss the most days -- up to 22 days out of the 180-day school year and almost double the rate in primary schools.
Reasons given for absenteeism include a family holiday to Bali, shopping with grandma, mowing the lawn, babysitting, visiting relatives and a fishing and camping trip.
Secondary schools in the Northern Metropolitan region have the highest absenteeism rates, followed by Loddon Mallee.
Children at primary schools in Hume, Gippsland and Loddon Mallee regions are absent 12 to 15 days a year.
The Eastern Metropolitan region has the lowest rates across all years.
Opposition Education spokesman Victor Perton said a principal had told him many students in his town wagged school and engaged in anti-social behaviour without fear of action by police or the Education Department.
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