Winter illnesses harming students' education, NZPF president says
Schools in New Zealand are experiencing record-high student and teacher absences due to a surge in winter illnesses. Education officials and school leaders are debating the balance between maintaining attendance targets and preventing the spread of sickness.
Why it matters
The high rate of absenteeism is disrupting education and highlighting the strain on public health and school infrastructure during peak winter months.
The principal of a Napier kura says more than half of their students are not at school this week because they are sick.
Maraenui Bilingual School Tumuaki, Traci Liddall, said 67 percent of their 125 students stayed home on Monday, and 56 percent did on Tuesday and Wednesday. All but two of those students were reported to have flu-like symptoms.
Data from the Ministry of Education showed almost 10 percent of class time was lost across the country last week due to illness. The past couple of weeks have been the worst in three years for school absences due to illness and medical reasons.
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