Pupils in the 10th grade typically had eight days and six hours of absence last school year, new figures from the Norwegian Directorate of Education show that came out on Thursday. That is two days and one hour more than in 2018/2019. Gimsøy school in Skien is one of the schools that notices the increased absenteeism. On average, the pupils were away here for 10.5 days last school year. – Being tired is no reason to stay at home. You are not in top shape every day. You must be at school if you are not too ill to be there. That’s what principal Sten Rune Sannerholt says at Gimsøy secondary school in Skien. Principal Sten Rune Sannerholt at Gimsøy secondary school says absenteeism has increased after the pandemic. Photo: Skien municipality Already two and a half weeks into the new school year, the students have already been absent for 151 days. Absence from school is increasing The new figures from the Norwegian Directorate of Education show that 15 per cent of pupils had 20 days of absence, and the girls were absent one day more than the boys. Pupils have the highest daily absences in Troms and Finnmark and Vestfold and Telemark, while Oslo has the highest hourly absences. School owners and principals across the country are concerned about the absence, and a report on the situation in schools in Norway was published on Thursday. During the corona, the absence rules were changed, and therefore it is not possible to say anything about the students’ actual absences during these school years. Notice that more people are away from school At Gimsøy school, several of the new 10th graders notice that absences have increased. – It’s a bit of a question of will. It is easier to say that one is sicker than one really is after the corona. I don’t think it’s good that there are more absences than before, says Daniel Hauge. Daniel Hauge does not think it is good that absenteeism is increasing. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news The students nod in recognition that tiredness is used as a reason to stay at home. Emilia Kristoffersdotter and Dalin Rahem say some choose to stay at home when they are tired. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news – I think more people are away than before, and already at the start of the school year. If you are tired of school, you will do everything to be at home, says Dalin Rahem. – You have to go to school even if you are tired, because it is important, says Emilia Kristoffersdotter. – It is difficult to be tough on your child The management at Gimsøy secondary school has long talked to the parents that the threshold for staying at home must be high, and that it is important to have enough sleep and food. – I think some parents find it difficult to be tough on their child even if they have a stuffy nose and a bit of a cold, says Sannerholt. He emphasizes that the most important thing is to get the children to school, otherwise they will fall behind. – I think that in 10-20 years you will see what damage the corona actually did and that we kept the schools closed. Applications for leave are pouring in. Absences are also increasing in the primary school. – It is worrying, says principal Mari Lunde at Borge primary school in Porsgrunn. When the school year ended in June, the pupils at this school had been away for more than 10 days on average. The headmaster is also concerned that so soon after the start of school, applications for leave are also pouring in. – They take long weekends, Thursday and Friday, possibly Monday, and they apply for time off to go on trips or on holiday with grandparents, or football matches in England. It is difficult to say no to holiday wishes and justify this by saying that it is not justifiable when they are in the nursery school, says principal Mari Lunde at Borge school. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news More people than before say it is now that they can afford to go on holiday. But the students lose the social aspect, and the school sees that some parents think it is just as important to go on holidays and experience other things. – The understanding of the importance of school has become a little lower. We notice a turn in a negative sense.
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– Being tired is no reason to stay at home – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
