Sharp increase in truancy: 13,700 kids not in school

Approximately 13,700 children did not receive mandatory education for at least part of the 2022-23 school year, about a third more than the year before. The number of kids who were truant for longer than three months increased by 74 percent to over 5,500, outgoing Minister Marielle Paul for Primary and Secondary Education said in a letter to parliament.

The Minister partially attributed the increased truancy to municipalities being unable to arrange education for child asylum seekers.

The number of children with an exception from compulsory education - kids who can’t attend school for psychological or physical reasons - also increased. This group grew by 14 percent to 8,400 children.

Paul and State Secretary Maarten Van Ooijen of Public Health also announced several legislative proposals to get more children attending school. They want to enshrine in law the right to extra support to help kids who need it attend school, and the right to digital distance learning for children who can’t. Paul previously allocated 7 million euros per year to facilitate this.

They are also working on a bill to help schools and involved parties gain better insight into children who should be at school but aren’t, and a law to monitor homeschooling to ensure that these kids also receive high-quality education.

“Going to school should be self-evident for every child. We are taking steps to ensure that. Parents can now contact one of the 140 parent and youth support centers for questions or assistance, we are strengthening education for the gifted, and we are committed to better use of digital distance learning,” Paul said. “I want every child to have a suitable place in education. We will continue to work hard on that.”