Student absences, Ministry of Education job cuts, and the school cellphone ban w/ the National Party’s James Meager: 23rd April, 2024.

In early April, Christopher Luxon and David Seymour addressed journalists with promises of several policies aimed at reducing absences in public schools. 

These policies joined other policies introduced by the current government, such as the school cellphone ban and ban on disposable vapes, which hope to improve education outcomes in our schools and increase attendance. 

Additionally, the government recently announced 565 job cuts in the Ministry of Education, including some currently vacant roles, in part of their larger move to cut costs across all ministries. 

In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to James Meager about these issues, both the theory behind the policies and how the policies will functionally be implemented.