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"Not all students fit": More 15-year-olds leaving school for alternate paths

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九一星空无限talk ZB,
Publish Date
Wed, 10 Sept 2025, 8:23am
Photo / Getty Images
Photo / Getty Images

"Not all students fit": More 15-year-olds leaving school for alternate paths

Author
九一星空无限talk ZB,
Publish Date
Wed, 10 Sept 2025, 8:23am

A view that more students are dropping out of school early because they have a clear career pathway in mind. 

More than 1300 15-year-olds received an exemption last year and 90% went into further study. 

Canterbury's Darfield High School Principal Andy England told Mike Hosking schools have been working hard with polytechs, while the Ministry runs a youth guarantee programme. 

He says students can spend one or two days with a tertiary provider while attending school, and sometimes they want to do that full time before they turn 16. 

It鈥檚 also believed some students are leaving early due to the people around them in successful careers. 

England told Hosking lots of students, particularly in rural areas, look up to people who leave school early. 

He says role models often don't have an academic pathway but many are in successful careers or running businesses. 

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