Victorian students continue to be denied the high-quality education they deserve as new figures reveal the concerning rates of student absenteeism under the Allan Labor Government.
Data from the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) has confirmed Victorian Year 7 to 10 students lost an average of 29.2 school days across 2022-23, whilst students in Year 11 and 12 lost an average of 23.4 school days over the same period.
These figures are well above the DET targets and highlight the ongoing issues with classroom disengagement at a time Victorian students' educational outcomes across literacy, science and mathematics are at record lows.
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood and Education, Jess Wilson, said: "The growing number of lost days of school due to absence - far in excess of the government's target - reflects a deeply concerning trend that needs to be addressed.
"Students don't get better outcomes by spending more time away from the classroom and classmates. For this reason, we need to better understand what is driving this increase.
"The government using COVID as an excuse does nothing to address the growing concerns around school refusal and mental health issues that are not only putting students' education at risk but their health and wellbeing as well."
