Chief Schools Welfare Officer (CSWO) Ms. Bhanmattie Ram has reported that the Schools Welfare Department has picked up some 400 truants from 17 campaigns carried out in the first quarter of 2009.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Ram disclosed that half the amount came from Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) ,and close to 300 were taken off the streets and other places during past two weeks.

According to the CSWO, based on available statistics, some 425 children were apprehended for the same period in 2008.

She pointed out that around 20 per cent of the 400 truants are cases of real concern, as they include a few who never attended school.

The remainder, Ram said, happened to be students who stayed home because they perceive little work will be done at school’ but on the whole they are not habitual truants.

She explained that the high number of truants identified in Region Six was due largely to the vigilance and support from practically all the key education stakeholders.

The CSWO noted that in Region Two, (Pomeroon/ Supenaam), 50 truancy cases were recorded, the second highest for all the 10 Administrative Regions with the exception of Regions Eight (Potaro/ Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takatu/ Upper Essequibo) where no campaign was conducted.

Notably too, Ram revealed that only four truants were picked up in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica), a whopping reduction from 68 in the first quarter of 2008.

However, she feels that many more truants could have been apprehended if her department had more access to transportation.

She stressed that the children picked up during the campaigns are counselled along with their parents on the importance of education and its role in their development.

Ram also said that assistance is given to students in circumstances where they need school uniforms or placement at a school , in addition to follow-up visits to their families.

She underlined that apart from the four campaigns in Region Six, most of the others were limited as her department operates on a limited budget coupled with limited transportation.

Most of the work, she said, was focused on in-school counselling, parental support and new housing communities, particularly those occupied by squatters.

She stated that based on available reports from her field staff; a significant number of truants are children of fishermen who dwell in these areas.

Making reference to one case, Ram said that of seven truants identified in Region Seven (Cuyuni/ Mazaruni) last week, three below the age of 15 never attended school.

Sadly, she pointed out that their father is serving a prison term and their mother is mentally ill.

The CSWO said her officers are also working with the relevant authorities to assist some children who were never issued a birth certificate to obtain one.

Ram informed this news paper that the majority of school absentees include those from disadvantaged backgrounds and illiterate parents and who live far from school, where transportation is costly, for example in the riverain communities.

She said as much as her officers try, it is difficult to get all the habitual truants back into the school system. Some, because of their age, are assigned to skills-based training programmes.

The CSWO also reported that the terms of reference of a multi-agency National Committee recently announced by Education Minister Shaik Baksh to tackle the issue will soon be completed.

According to Baksh, absenteeism at the secondary level stands at 15 per cent, the primary level 21 per cent, nursery 24 per cent, community high 41 per cent and secondary department of primary schools 45 per cent.

He acknowledged that the drop-out rate at primary schools remains a concern, but noted too that the high gross enrollment has been recognised by the United Nations .

Baksh noted that his ministry is cognisant of the high drop-out incidence at community high schools and reiterated that those institutions will be converted into secondary schools by September, in an effort to solve the problem.

The Ministry of Education has recently appointed 35 School Welfare Officers and according to the minister, an additional 16 are needed to bolster services regarding child-related matters.

Further, Baksh said his officers are working to get Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs) on board, to help in the fight to curb the level of truancy throughout the country.

He assured that there will be no “one shot” attempt to address the problem as his ministry will continuously embark on outreaches to secure broad-based support to stem the truancy tide.