David Seymour: Associate Education Minister on the new truancy policy, banning teacher-only days during term time

The Associate Education Minister says the Government, schools, parents and students all have a part to play in attendance.

The Government's instructing schools to have Stepped Attendance Response plans by 2026.

It comes as students around the country ditch school for the School Strike for Climate today.

Associate Minister David Seymour told Mike Hosking schools should mark that as an unjustified absence.

He says for people to keep their living standards and emit less, we need a lot of science, and school's a good place to learn that.

Schools have also been instructed not to take teacher-only days in term time, unless authorised by the Minister.

Seymour told Hosking the Government has a role in introducing more prosecutions and support for schools.

He says the point of the STAR system is it sets out that the schools have a role - and they need to take that seriously.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
David Seamore's had a big week. The charter school's law
got past and now another move around. True and see
the star scheme is coming, stepped attendance response scheme. Five days,
we ask a few questions. Ten days a term we
have a meeting. Fifteen He comes to the Ministry Associated
Education Minister. David Seamore's with us. Very good morning to you,
Good morning May and ironic today that they're on strike

(00:20):
for the climate again. So what should they do under
the rules. Would this be one of the five days
you didn't turn up?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, I'd urge the schools to mark this as an
unjustified absence. I know there's been examples in the past
where teachers have actually tried to say that going on
the school strike for climate is somehow a useful academic exercise.
Now that actually worries for two reasons. One is that
to the extent you're worried about climate change, for people

(00:48):
to keep their living standards and admit less, we're going
to need a huge amount of science. So a good
place to learn that is actually school. But second of all,
I'm increasingly worried about the ount of anxiety young people
have by being told that it's all hopeless and school
strike for climate seems to say it's all terrible. You know,

(01:09):
last time I saw our kid on TV say I'm
literally going to die from climate change, which is possibly
a misuse of literally, but it speaks to the fact
that they've been taught hopelessness and actually kids will be
much better at school learning the kind of knowledge that
will help the next generation. Sold are technical and scientific problems.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
Indeed, So what's your biggest battle with parents of the
school If the school for today, for example, doesn't mark
the medicine that's on the school, what do you do
about the schools?

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well, ultimately we just get the data. You know. I'm
not neither meaning nor the Ministry of Education are going
to go and stand over you know, every office lady
in every school in New Zealand and make sure that
the marking the right letters. So, you know, some of
the s MIC is that the government has a role,
But the points of the Star system as it actually

(02:01):
sets out that the schools have a role. So I'm
saying it right now, you know, please take this seriously.
The government has a role coming in with more prosecutions
and more support for schools, but parents have a role
and students have a role, and ultimately it's a huge
problem for New Zealand, not one that we're thrilled to
have inherited, but we're determined to fix and that's going

(02:23):
to require all four of those actors having a role
to play at each step of attendance or non attendance exactly.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
So when you mix that in with your charter law
this week, do you feel that you're starting to make
a difference.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah, I think the government right across the board also
with the curriculum changes that Eric Stanford is bringing in,
we're starting to restore the idea that New Zealand is
a place that has succeeded largely because we pass so
much knowledge from one generation to the next. And I
was at the celebration of Cami last night, the firm

(03:00):
that has just had a three hundred million dollar exit
to a US buyer. Fantastic success, mostly people in the
early thirties of Bolve, but one of the people there
actually thanks for the New Zealand education system because they'd
been able to employ people one hundred and twenty people
now who make that business work. And I think it's

(03:20):
just a great reminder of how you know an educated
population can solve amazing problems. Interestingly enough selling products to
the American education system to help me out. But you
know an uneducated population can squander great prosperity.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
Good sum have a good weekend. David Seymour, the Associate
Education Ministry.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
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