The OECD Report ‘Education At A Glance’

Media Statement
Thursday 10 September

FYD Statement On The OECD Report ‘Education At A Glance’ Released 09 Sept 2009

The Foundation for Youth Development (FYD), a leading organisation in the field of youth development in New Zealand, is concerned that the OECD has found New Zealand has the second worst high school drop-out rate in the developed world.

FYD co-founder, Graeme Dingle, said: “This is a real tragedy for New Zealand’s youth and a serious issue for our country as a whole. Young people are our leaders of the future and we, as a nation, need to look at why disengagement in education is so prevalent.

“We commend recent Government investment in youth initiatives such as the Break Away and Youth Opportunities packages which we believe are a step in the right direction.

“FYD has long been calling for solid investment in robust, preventative and proactive youth development programmes such as Kiwi Can, Stars and Project K – proven to keep young people in school. This investment is essential to ensure we reach young people before they become disengaged – a much more serious and difficult problem to fix.”

ENDS

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