COVID Not to Blame for Truancy Crisis: New Zealand Opposition Leader

National Party Leader Christopher Luxon speaks to media during an unveiling event at The Backbencher Pub in Wellington, New Zealand, on Aug. 3, 2022. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand National Party Leader Christopher Luxon said COVID-19 was no longer a sufficient reason to explain the country’s truancy crisis.

The comments come after the Ministry of Education released its latest attendance indicator report, which found that only 40 percent of students regularly attended school during term two (pdf). This is a fall of six percentage points from term one.