The New South Wales government introduced regulations covering school leavers last year. Essentially these regulations state that young people must remain in either full time education, or full time employment, or full time training or a combination of both until they reach the age of 17. So they have the choice of staying at school or either getting a full time job or an apprenticeship.

I work at a College of Technical and Further Education, TAFE, and have recently been inundated by 15 and 16 year olds telling me that they want to leave school and come to TAFE. When I ask the reason they want to leave school, I am invariably told that it is because they don't like school, and that they had actually stopped attending.

My question then is, "what would your parents have said if you had told them that you were not going to go to school?"

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1958-1961

Current location (optional) Blue Mountains, Australia via Haworth

I'd have been given a good hiding, and made to comply !

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 58-64

Current location (optional) Wirral

John, similar regulations are coming into force in the UK - it helps to keep the unemployment figures down.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1958-65

Current location (optional) Leeds

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1958 - 61

Current location (optional) Blue Mountains, Australia via Haworth