Source: Child Poverty Action Group
As many as 15,000 teenagers are taking on paid work to help pay for family basics and government agencies urgently need to find out how many are dropping out of school to do so, the Child Poverty Action Group says.
CPAG is urgently calling for adequate support to school students who are working too many hours while trying to keep up with their education.
In a review of available research on the issue, CPAG, with the support of Te Rourou One Aotearoa Foundation, found that there was no recent or relevant information on how many students are propping up household incomes, and the potential negative impact on their education or future employment prospects is unknown.
But, using 2022 data from the Education Review Office, CPAG calculated 15,000 of students were working 20-50 hours a week on top of study, but emphasised better data was needed to get an accurate picture of the situation.
“The contributions of these young people, who would otherwise be at school, is masking a problem. No one should have to choose between their education and putting food on the table for their family,” said CPAG convenor Alan Johnson.
“Anecdotal evidence from school principals in lower socio economic areas suggests there has been an upswing, notably since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020,” added CPAG researcher Harry Shi.
CPAG’s report
