This was published 8 years ago
Taking children out of school for holidays: Fines are counterproductive and pointless
By Tracey Spicer
Three youngsters play the in Guggenheim Museum and Art Gallery in New York - when they should perhaps have been at school. Credit: Alamy
Parents are as mad as hell, and they're not going to take it any more.
There's an almighty backlash against government crackdowns on truancy, with the number of families buying travel insurance to use during the school term rising by 26 per cent over the past year.
New research by comparetravelinsurance.com.au shows more than three out of four Australians (78 per cent) would let their kids skip school for a holiday. This is most prevalent mid-year, with some families heading to Europe for up to three months.
The study shows 72 per cent of parents plan to take their kids out of class for more than a week; a further 8.9 per cent say they would skip up to three weeks.
"With skyrocketing costs, families under the pump say they have no choice but to utilise off-peak airline and accommodation deals, saving thousands of dollars," according to Natalie Ball from Compare Travel Insurance.
Further research, by mindahome.com.au, has found a 77 per cent mark-up on Gold Coast accommodation during the holidays. (The house-sitting website, which is part of the burgeoning "sharing economy", has seen an increase in families seeking free accommodation to avoid costs during peak periods.)
In Britain, parents are risking prison for a cheap holiday. There, more than 52,000 fines were issued in the 2012-13 school year for unauthorised absences: failure to pay the $125 fine can lead to prosecution and jail.
To tackle truancy in NSW, the Department of Education & Communities instructs principals to list as "absent" students who take holidays, without a "reasonable excuse".
A spokesperson for the Department says: "It is important students attend school on every day they are able. Research shows a strong link between school attendance and academic performance."
The Victorian Department of Education and Training agrees, , with parents required to give schools advance notice of holidays, and students to complete a Student Absence Learning Plan.
Parents can be fined but, since the new laws were introduced in 2014, no infringement notices have been issued.
Mother-of-three Janet Layne*, from Sydney, says she's not dissuaded, recently booking a four-week holiday with her children during term time.
"The cost of taking the kids away during holidays is exorbitant and it's really hard to try to co-ordinate all the holidays during term breaks," she says. "The kids benefit hugely from family time away and it's important for them to explore new environments."
One primary school in Sydney's eastern suburbs is warning that, without sufficient authorisation, children could be held back at customs and not allowed to board their flights.
"Parents generally have their children's best interest at heart. The onus is on them to determine whether the child's experience will outweigh learning they would gain from time spent in the classroom," Ball says.
To me, these crackdowns are, at best, pointless, and, at worst, counter productive. They force law-abiding parents to lie – and encourage their children to lie – about taking holidays, many of which are educational.
The real problem of persistent truancy in our schools is a different issue entirely.
In the words of philosopher and theologian, Augustine of Hippo, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page."
*Name changed
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