There has been an increase in the number of weeks secondary school students are missing school.
Figures in The Age, show students in public schools were absent for an average of 3.5 weeks in 2018, however that rose to 5.6 weeks in 2023.
In Greater Geelong, there was a 28 per cent jump in students absences, from 3.7 weeks to 5.1 weeks last year.
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While on the Surf Coast, the average number of weeks a student was absent was 5.6 weeks in 2023.
The highest attendance rates in Victoria were in Melbourne’s east and south-east.
There are now calls for a national plan to tackle absences, and the impacts of some students refusing to go to school.
