Absent Danish school kids paying the price in exams

Parents blamed for taking their children on holiday during term time

Lucie Rychla

Public school students miss an average 10 days every year, according to research by Politiken Research.

At some schools, such as Gadehaveskole in Høje Taastrup Municipality, students miss to 30 days of school a year, reports TV2.

Ellen Trane Nørby, the education minister, said schools should pay more attention to students who are doing poorly and criticised parents for taking their children on vacation outside of the regular holiday weeks.

Absenteeism linked to low grades
An analysis by the Ministry of Education shows a strong correlation between absenteeism and grades.

Students with less than four days of absence per year score on average 2.5 grade points higher than students who are absent from school for more than 20 days a year.

According to Niels Egelund, a professor from the School of Education at Aarhus University, students’ social background plays a major role in absenteeism.

In some countries, like the UK, parents are fined for taking their children on holiday during term time.

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