Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

I see universities are asking students to come back to lectures in person because the low attendance is apparently ‘demoralising’ staff.  Covid lockdowns and closures saw more classes go online and as it turns out, many find that preferable to having to rock up in person. It is also no doubt a contributing factor to our truancy levels at school.  Once you stop something and let students know it’s OK to pause it, or to do it remotely, then guess what - they’re going to take that and run with it.  The reasons for not showing up to lectures I can imagine are similar to the reasons we skipped lectures back in my day. Sometimes just getting to uni is a hassle with traffic, public transport (if you’re in Auckland especially), weather, sickness, lack of parking, lack of bus services, and probably also lack of interest. I mean why trek all the way in if you don’t have to?  If you can have it beamed into your bedroom in the comfort of your own home, why wouldn’t you?  Obviously we didn’t have that option when I was at