Labour finally acts on early exemptions

new-zealand-national-party

Tue May 22 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Labour finally acts on early exemptions

Tuesday, 22 May 2007, 1:22 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Katherine Rich MP
National Party Education spokeswoman

22 May 2007

Labour is finally listening after National raised concerns about the number of exemptions being granted to students to leave school before they turn 16, says National’s Education spokeswoman, Katherine Rich.

In answer to a parliamentary question, Education Minister Steve Maharey has admitted that his Ministry is now reviewing their processes for approving early leaving exemptions, with the aim of reducing the number of exemptions granted.

“The number of secondary students being granted exemptions has increased by 43% since 1999.

“In 1999 some 2,802 students were granted exemptions, and by 2006 this had risen to 3,957.

“Leaving school early leads to poor outcomes later in life, and until National highlighted this alarming trend, Labour had been silent on the issue.

‘The Ministry is currently granting 95% of all applications for early leaving. Our school leaving age is higher then the OECD average.

“If all of these students were leaving to take up apprenticeships or sustainable work then we would not have an issue, but the fact is many are lured away to do flimsy courses and end up in the dole queue.

“It is great that the Ministry of Education is now moving to address the problem, but it is concerning that it took a doubling of the numbers between 1997 and 2006 to get some action.”

ENDS

Attached: Answer to parliamentary question

Answers to parliamentary questions

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07975 (2007) Katherine Rich to the Minister of Education (9 May): Has the Minister asked the Ministry of Education to review the process of approving early leaving exemptions with the view of reducing the number of students who leave school before they turn 16. If so, what is the nature of that review.

Education Minister Steve Maharey replied ( 22 May): Yes and the Ministry of Education has advised me that they are reviewing their processes for approving early leaving exemptions with the aim of reducing the number of exemptions granted

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