The Wire

The problem of how to get students to stay in school has been tackled head-on by a rural high school in Western Australia, with a little help from Centrelink. Parents whose children attend the Halls Creek District High School can have their welfare payments suspended if they don’t make their children attend school regularly. A spokesman for the Western Australian Education Minister says the scheme is a good idea, but should not be implemented nationally like Federal Education Minister, Brendan Nelson, is proposing. The school’s principal, Garry Smith, says the scheme is improving attendance rates and, as a necessary intervention to reduce truancy among students, should be seen across the board.