Opinion

Don’t blame the COVID pandemic for truant kids

Student absences are rising at such high rates that they threaten to become permanent. But the fault lies with social trends, parents - and governments.

Glenn FaheyContributor

Feb 7, 2024 – 5.44pm

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Australian school students’ sliding attendance is a symptom of greater structural problems facing the education system. This makes turning it around a more pivotal but also more difficult task than in the past.

The latest Productivity Commission data shows that over the past two years, about 45 per cent of students missed a day of school per fortnight – a rate that has approximately doubled from the long-term average.

Glenn Fahey is a research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies, and formerly held research and policy positions with the OECD.