New Zealand Student Behaviour Near the Bottom of OECD Rankings

Student behaviour in New Zealand classrooms has hit a new low, an Education Review Office report reveals. The country’s ranking on an OECD scale has been among the worst for 20 years, but the report says it’s getting worse. Prolonged periods away from the classroom due to pandemic lockdowns triggered a further decline, which educators have been unable to arrest. Last year an OECD survey of 15-year-olds gave New Zealand the worst score among developed countries, and one of the worst of the 81 nations and territories covered. Ministry of Education figures show schools stood down (suspended) pupils 25,167 times in 2022—representing almost 3.3 stand-downs for every 100 students—the most in more than 20 years of records....