KEY POINTS:
Maori, especially girls, wag school more than other students, a Ministry of Education study says.
The 2006 Attendance, Absence and Truancy report, published last December by the ministry, found Maori students had a truancy rate of 7 per cent.
By comparison, Pacific students had a truancy rate of 6.2 per cent, Pakeha students 2.8 per cent and Asian students 2.9 per cent.
The study involved 659,275 students from 2216 schools over one week last August.
Maori girls had the highest truancy rate, with 7.1 per cent, followed by Maori boys, at 6.6 per cent. Asian girls had the lowest rate, with 2.5 per cent, followed by Pakeha males, at 2.6 per cent.
All ethnic groups reported more truants than in 2004. Overall, students liked Monday least of any day of the week, which accounted for 13 per cent of absences, followed by Friday (12 per cent). Nelson was the region with the most truants (4.8 per cent), followed by Northland and Waikato (both 4.6 per cent).
The study has been publicised after an analysis of school leavers by Professor Russell Bishop of Waikato University.
Professor Bishop's study showed 53 per cent of Maori boys left school in 2005 without level one of the National Certificate of Education Achievement.
In contrast, 20 per cent of Pakeha boys left without level one.
National's Maori affairs spokesman, Tau Henare, said studies showed the Labour Government was failing Maori. "In the entire 35-minute speech from the Prime Minister [on Tuesday] the only specific mention of Maori was around the forestry industry - not addressing our appalling education statistics.
"Is it a plan of the Labour Government to have unqualified Maori drop-outs staffing the forestry industry?"
Mr Henare's comments were the latest in the parliamentary debate over Maori education statistics.
On Tuesday Education Minister Steve Maharey said the Government was reviewing how to approach Maori education and a new strategy, Ka Hikitia, was about to go to the Cabinet.
Prime Minister Helen Clark defended the Government's record on Monday, saying the percentage of Maori leaving school with level two NCEA or higher had doubled between 2001 and 2005.
- NZPA
