New laws won’t fix Clarence truancy problem, says Cansdell

Tough new laws against parents who fail to send their kids to school will not solve local truancy problems, according to Clarence Nationals MP Steve Cansdell.

The NSW Parliament on Wednesday approved legislation providing fines of up to $2500 for a first offence of failing to ensure children attend school.

“Children who truant are the end result of a major social problem of dysfunctional families. Magistrates can fine parents all they want but they are not going to pay the fine because they have not got the money to start with,” Mr Cansdell told Parliament.

“The whole family needs to be case-managed because not just educational issues are involved.

“Mental health, alcohol and drug problems concern the Department of Health, juvenile justice, corrective services and the police – all those government departments need to be involved in a whole-of-government approach.

“Why do kids truant? Extreme dysfunctionality in the family environment is a big issue. Also, students who fall behind very rarely catch up. They feel inadequate in a classroom so they would rather be suspended from school — and that is the beginning of behavioural problems, to cover up their feelings of educational inadequacy.”

Mr Cansdell said new thinking was needed and praised Tucabia Public School for its ‘ethos of complete inclusivity with all the children’.

“If there is a kid who is falling behind in spelling, the other kids — not the teachers — help them out with their spelling or arithmetic or any part of the school curriculum,” he said.

The MP said the Government needed to allocate additional resources to education, both to lift pre-school participation rates and to help schools manage the Government’s recent decision to increase school leaving age from 16 to 17.

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Related posts:

1. Della-Bosca resignation affects the Clarence: Cansdell
2. Tebbutt ‘ignoring’ Clarence marine park controversy: Cansdell
3. Cansdell raises fishermen’s concerns in Parliament
4. ‘People power’ brings Maclean Hospital sale backdown: Cansdell
5. Hospital cuts ‘a sad hallmark’ of Budget: Cansdell