Student absenteeism rates are on the rise across the region, new data reveals.
In the Mitchell Shire, despite three fewer enrolments in 2023 than in 2022, absenteeism rates have risen a concerning 33 per cent.
Year 9 students in the Shire hold the highest rates of absenteeism, with the average student missing out on 47.5 days of school each year, while Year 10 students fair little better, missing 46 days of school.
The data comes from the Department of Education’s Victorian Child and Adolescent Monitoring Systems (VCAMS) research, which additionally investigates the proportion of students achieving national benchmarks in literacy and numeracy, and the proportion of young people who feel connected to peers, among other topics.
While more recent consensus is yet to be published, the results of 2018 and 2019’s academic and social connection investigations proved promising, with over 90 per cent of Mitchell Shire students meeting academic benchmarks (which 2023 NAPLAN results also supported), and 92.9 per cent of Goulburn-based students stating they felt connected to peers.
However, contrasting results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), a worldwide study that evaluates 15-year-old students’ ability in reading, mathematics, and science, showed that the 2023 assessment had recorded an all-time low.
Though PISA results have been declining steadily for over a decade, the most notable drop was seen between 2018 and 2022, raising concerns about COVID-19 lockdown implications and the use of digital devices in the classroom, with 30 per cent of students stating they were a distraction.
Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland stated that the rise of student disengagement may also be a contributing factor to low attendance rates.
“With so many of our regional towns dealing with significant disadvantage, it is imperative that education opportunities are there for our younger generations and that young people are kept engaged,” she said.
“Areas like the Strathbogie Shire have the second largest increase in the average absent days per student in the entire state.
“Our towns are in desperate need of more support from this Government, who has time and time again failed to provide a situation for our regional communities to thrive.”
However, Member for Northern Victorian Jaclyn Symes stated Victoria’s student attendance rates were the highest of the nation.
“In 2023, Victorian schools again had the best student attendance of any state and territory,” she said.
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood and Education Jess Wilson echoed Ms Cleeland’s sentiment, stating that engagement was crucial for the development of life-long skills.
“Less time in the classroom and at school will only reduce a student’s ability to learn the essential skills and knowledge needed to enter the workforce and pursue future educational and career pathways,” she said.
“It’s clear that Victoria needs a new approach, and the Allan Labor Government must explain what it is doing to support regional students and their families to remain engaged with their education and school community.”
