Less than half of students are regularly attending school.
The latest truancy data shows regular attendance in term one dropped to just 46 percent.
It's down on 72.8 percent in 2019 - pre Covid - and 50.5 percent in 2020.
Post Primary Teachers' Association President Melanie Webber told Kate Hawkesby the numbers don't surprise her.
She says irregular attendance is having more than two days off school a month.
Webber says while that adds up and isn't ideal, there is huge variation in the data.
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