3 July 2007

Call for free education and support till the age of 19

Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis says it is increasingly clear that there’s not enough support available for young people after they leave school, and it is one of the causes of persistent social problems such as gang violence, drug and alcohol abuse and low qualification levels.

“We must face facts”, Sir Barry says. “Something is seriously wrong when so many young people are aimless, drifting and detached from the mainstream. It is ridiculous that people aged 15 can be pushed out of school when they are completely unprepared for the workforce, have no plans for the future and are not eligible for any funding or financial support.”

The entitlement to free education in New Zealand ends at the age of 15. After the age of 16, only 80 per cent of students are still in the mainstream school system. At any one time up to 25,000 young people between 15 and 19 are not in work, education or training. In Manukau the figure is 2500.

New Zealand has the poorest record among OECD nations for the number of 15 to 19 year olds in full time or part time education.

Sir Barry says Manukau is one of a number of cities where the lack of support for school leavers results in social problems. “We urgently need to raise overall education achievement levels because too many of our young people are falling through the cracks.

“Teenagers should be required, or at least encouraged, to be in some kind of education or further training after the age of 15. However at the moment many school leavers are in a void, doing nothing. It’s a recipe for disaster when combined with factors such as family conflict and low literacy levels.

“Young people have wonderful things to offer but too often they are seen only as a “problem group” because of the negative situations some of them drift into. It is no wonder many teenagers turn to crime or gangs when they have no attachment to education, a career, family or the wider society; and their only support group is their peers.

“A percentage of unqualified school leavers will get work but there are fewer and fewer jobs for unskilled and unqualified people, and that will only increase in the future as we move into a knowledge-based economy.

“If we are serious about improving our educational levels overall, there needs to be a seamless transition between high school and further education or training, and it needs to be fully funded. In essence, education or training must be free for people between 16 and 18, wherever that takes place.

“It must be accompanied by a complete support package that includes properly funded youth health services and social supports such as counselling services.”

Sir Barry says a positive national strategy on this issue has been developed – the Youth Development Strategy - but it has not been effectively actioned or funded.

“Rich or poor, it makes no difference. There are troubled youth struggling to find their way in life from wealthy as well as low-income families and they are all entitled to help and support from the community.

“New Zealand needs to invest more in our young people, our rangatahi, because they are the future of the nation. At the moment they are not being supported as they should be.”

ENDS

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