Government has embarked on a child labour project to reduce truancy and increase school attendance by providing free transportation services to children on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway. The project, dubbed “TACKLE”, is being funded by the European Union and is a collaborative effort between the ministry and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
“This programme will see increased implementation with programmes being piloted through the Ministry of Education to reduce truancy and improve parenting,” Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir said.
He noted that parenting, grand-parenting and community parenting have been key in motivating students to complete high school.
The Education Ministry has set a target to reduce the rate of high school leavers by half.  “So our children have to get to, and stay in school,” the Labour Minister said.
The Ministry of Education has found that school attendance is intricately linked to uniform assistance and the provision of meals which are catered for in this year’s budget.
Minister Nadir stated that government has noted several factors which affect school attendance, including free access to transportation to and from school.
It is for this reason that the TACKLE project collaborated with the Friendship Oxygen Company Ltd. to provide transportation to children on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway.
The Ministry of Education is expected to identify those schools with low attendance rates and arrange the provision of a free transportation service to students to and from school.
This year, the ministry recommenced its school-feeding programme and is to provide uniforms to all school-aged children as part of government’s efforts to reduce non-attendance. Over 200, 000 students are to benefit. (GINA)