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Plans to change the law to stop 15-year-olds quitting school early are set to be scrapped by the new Government.
Part of a bill tabled in Parliament in September sought to remove the ability for under-16s to apply for an exemption to leave school. A Ministry of Education crackdown already saw the number of students who got official permission not to go to school more than halve between 2006 and last year, when 1930 15-year-olds got the approval.
But incoming Education Minister Anne Tolley said yesterday that National did not agree with the plan to scrap early leaving exemptions, had spoken against it and did not intend to pick it up.
"We believe that there are some students whose needs can be better met outside of the school environment," said Mrs Tolley.
"We would like to see schools continue to have that option."
Secondary principals said at the time the bill was introduced that leaving school early was a "last resort", not overused by schools and that it had been the best answer for a small number of students not suited to being kept in class.
But yesterday, Secondary Principals' Association president Peter Gall was taking a wait and see approach and said consideration needed to be given on where the bill, in its entirety, was positioned.
"I think they [National] will have to wait and see until they are fully briefed on everything."
Mrs Tolley said other education priorities included consultation to set national standards in education and "substantially" raising the fine for parents with truant children.
"The first thing is to make sure the children are at school, the second thing is to make sure they are participating, then the third is to lift their levels of achievement," she said.
Further developing trade training in schools and the promised youth guarantee of a universal education entitlement for all aged 16 and 17 was also on the cards.
