62,000 kids absent from class, 일주일에 6만2천명 학생들이 결석하는 뉴질랜드

조금 지난 이야기지만..

작년 6월 교육부가 전국 2,166개 공립학교를 대상으로 했던 조사에서 나타난 결과에 따르면 

일주일에 평균 6만 2천 명정도의 학생들이 결석을 하고 있다고 합니다.

조사가 이루어지고 있던 기간에도 1만 5천명 정도가 타당한 이유없이 무단결석을 한것으로 알려졌습니다.

이렇게 결석이 많아지는 것은 부모들이 저가 항공 서비스를 이용항 휴가를 떠나는것도 큰 이유중 하나라고 합니다. 각 학교 교장들은 부유하거나 어려운 가정을 막론하고 교육전문가들이 이러한 여행을 막아서고 있는 가운데서도 부모들이 어린 학생들을 방학이 아닌 정상적인 수업 기간 동안에도 학교에서 배우는 만큼 가르칠 수 있다고 말하며 여행을 떠나고 있다고 합니다.

가정형편이 어려운 어린 학생들의 경우 부모가 일을 나간 사이 어린 동생들을 돌보기 위하여 결석 또는 조퇴를 하는 불가피한 경우도 있지만, 교실에 마실 물이 없다는 등의 여러가지 이유로 인해서 학교를 결석하는 아이들이 늘어나고 있다고 합니다.

덫붙여서 조사 말미에..

오클랜드 대학교 교육학과 피터 오코너 교수는 만일 Year 9 혹은 Year10의 자녀를 해외 여행의 기회가 있어서 1주일 정도 자녀를 데리고 여행을 간다면 이러한 여행은 자녀의 공부에 긍정적인 영향을 가져올 수 있다고 합니다. 그러나 가장 큰 문제는 습관적으로 학교에 결석하는 것이라고 말했습니다. 

... ...

국민학교 6년, 중학교 3년, 고등학교 3년

모두 합쳐서 12년동안 단 하루도 결석을 하지않아서 학기마다 받았던 개근상을 자랑스럽게,

성적이 좋아서 받았던 최우수상들 보다도 더 값어치 있게 생각했던 시절이 있었습니다.

물론 지금도 그것에 대한 자랑스러움과 지독하게 학교는 빠지지 않아야 한다는 생각을 심어주신 부모님이 고맙기도 합니다.

그것은 자식이 근면, 성실하게 자라주길 바라는 부모님의 간절함이었다고 생각합니다.

내가 아이를 낳고, 학교에 보내면서 드는 생각은 뭘까요?

또 한국과 다른 교육환경 속에서 학교교육이 주는 여러가지 신선한 충격들은 이루 말로 다 할수가 없습니다.

결석에 대한 이번 뉴스기사도 참 쑈킹한 일입니다.

뉴질랜드에는 4 term이 있고, 각 텀마다 짧게는 2주에서 길게는 6-8주 정도의 방학이 있습니다.

부모들은 이런 방학을 이용해서 아이들과 여행을 떠나는 것입니다. 물론 대부분의 이야기는 아니지만요.

어느날 아침 갑자기, 어제까지 출퇴근 정체를 격던 고속도로가 한산해지는것을 보게 된다면

곧 학생들 방학이 시작되겠구나 하는 생각이 들 정도면 아이들 방학을 이용해서 많은 가족들이 여행을 떠난다는것을 실감 할 수도 있습니다.

아침마다 학교에 가는 다현이를 보면서 여러가지 생각을 합니다만...

얼마나 결석을 시키지 않고 학교에 나가게 할 수 있을지 궁금해 집니다.

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62,000 kids absent from class

By Nicholas Jones

5:30 AM Friday Jul 26, 2013

Many parents are taking their youngsters out of class in order to take advantage of cheap holidays and flights

Louise Richardson took daughter Issey, now 12, out of school for a holiday in Hong Kong. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Parents who remove their children from classes to take cheap flights and holidays are part of the reason 62,000 Kiwi kids miss school each week.

Principals say rich and poor families are pulling their youngsters from school for travel - although an education expert has defended such trips, saying they can teach as much as school.

Schools say many other excuses for absence from class don't hold water. But poverty-related reasons for non-attendance, such as babysitting younger siblings while parents work, are harder to address.

Findings from a Ministry of Education survey showed that about 62,000 students were absent from school for all or part of a day during the survey week, and 15,000 were unjustifiably absent.

The survey gathered information on student attendance over a week in June last year from 2166 state and state-integrated schools.

Allan Vester, chairman of the NZ Secondary Principals Council and head of Edgewater College in Pakuranga, said schools often referred to "parent-condoned truancy" - most harmful when it was repeated every week or fortnight.

"If you ask parents, 'Is being at school really important?' they will always say it is. But there are things in their family life that seem to be more urgent and more important than being at school."

Previous ministry reports have said parents taking their children from school to take advantage of cheap flights contribute to truancy.

Cheap flights are more widely available outside school holidays.

In Britain, the Government has warned that taking such holidays without permission could result in parents being fined 100 ($192).

Mr Vester said about four families approached his school asking to take early holidays before each break, and principals could do little because "parents are clearly going".

"We send a letter saying they need to catch up when they return and take what work they can. There's not a lot of point saying, 'No, you can't go'," Mr Vester said.

The practice occurred at both ends of the social spectrum.

"It's a problem for parents needing to get a flight a bit cheaper so they go early ... At the other end, it's parents who have time-shared ski apartments and such things."

Auckland University educationist Professor Peter O'Connor said such trips could benefit a child's education.

The real issue was habitually missing school.

"The opportunity to take your child to Florence when they are 9 or 10 years old and take them out of school for a week, I'd suggest that can have significant impacts on learning, for the positive."

This year, the Government created a new Attendance Service, with extra funding, and reduced the number of agencies contracted to keep children in school.

The principal of Bairds Mainfreight Primary School in Otara, Alan Lyth, said the new system had not worked as well for his school.

A hard core of families frequently kept children away unnecessarily.

"Some of the reasons just don't hold any water. Nobody seems to be able to get on top of them. ... People seem to know that so long as the kids get back to school for a couple of days, that's going to get people off their backs," Mr Lyth said.

Robin Staples, who is director of Southern Cross Campus, a decile 1 Year 1-13 school in Mangere, said older children sometimes missed school to help babysit or step in for parents who were working long hours.

Others came to school tired after working late to support their family.

"We try to counsel parents not to allow that, but [given] the reality that families find themselves in in terms of putting food on the table, they have to rationalise those things."

The Education Act requires students to attend each school day. But a principal may allow an absence for no more than five school days.

The ministry's group manager of education, curriculum and performance, Marilyn Scott, said it was unacceptable for parents to take children out of school during term time for a holiday.

She said boards of trustees could prosecute parents for their children's non-attendance, but this should be a last resort.

Trip diary makes the holiday work

When Louise Richardson took her daughter Issey out of school for a holiday in Hong Kong last year she knew the trip could not be all play.

Issey, then 11, missed a week of classes. Staff at Balmoral Intermediate agreed to the trip, but required her to keep a journal.

"I was conscious of the need to make sure that it was a learning experience, as well as fun," said Ms Richardson.

"Most of the schools make it clear that it's a serious thing ... so you feel that you've got to go in there and put a pretty good case.

"They tend to be quite understanding, but they are conscious that kids can miss out on such a lot. And I agree - it's not something I would ever do unless it was unavoidable."

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기사원문 : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10903374