Comment by the Ministry of Youth Affairs on "Making the System Work for the At-Risk Student"

The Ministries of Youth Affairs and Women’s Affairs have recently collaborated to produce a paper on ways to improve access to education for those who became parents as teenagers before completing their secondary education.

The paper draws on New Zealand and international experience to identify effective policy strategies to support such access. Areas for further consideration include: whether student rights of access to education could be made clearer and more flexible, options to improve funding and support for service providers, and income support for the teen-age parents. He Huarahi Tamariki has succeeded because it is a community-driven project, and because of the tremendous leadership from its staff, volunteers and students.

The lessons learnt highlight some of the policy gaps that need to be addressed if this and similar initiatives are to thrive. Research and practical experience show the need for an integrated approach to assisting students to be learning ready, by attending to health, income support, housing, parenting, education, employment, etc. The key is to be able to offer an effective, supportive learning environment when these young parents are re-engaging in education