Some 35 truants from several areas in Region Three were apprehended last month as the Ministry of Education intensifies its campaign to ensure all school age children attend school. According to a report from the Schools’ Welfare Department, the campaign which resulted in the arrest of the truants was conducted in the Parika Wharf area, Bushy Park , Farm, Parika Backdam and Parika Façade, and Lookout.
The report pointed out that both the truants and their parents were counselled by the Acting Chief Schools Welfare Officer, Ms. Carol Melville, in the presence of Schools Welfare Officers from Georgetown,  Region Three, two Police officers, a Probation Officer and a representative of Region Three Women’s Affairs Committee.
The parents were subsequently issued warning letters and some referral documents to obtain material support from Government and non-governmental organisations.
Notably, there were seven cases of parental neglect to educate the children, along with one alleged case of child labour which, if verified, will be forwarded to the Ministry of Labour.
The seven students whose parents have displayed a negligent attitude to their education were placed in schools and the Schools’ Welfare Department will be closely monitoring their attendance.
The Schools’ Welfare Department has made it clear that if these children are not attending school, their parents will be taken to court.
The department last month had taken to court seven parents in Region Six who were negligent in educating their child.
At that proceeding, all the accused parents gave various reasons for their children not attending school; but after a presentation of the findings of the truancy campaign in which the children were apprehended were presented, along with the head teacher’s report, they changed their plea to guilty.
The magistrate who presided over the case had ordered that all the children within a two mile radius attend school, with immediate effect.
Education Minister Shaik Baksh had earlier announced that his ministry will take a tougher stand against truancy and negligent parents will be placed before the court.
He explained that his ministry is moving in this direction because efforts to talk to parents of truants about the importance of educating their children were ineffective.
Truancy, he said, is a problem in Region Six and other parts of the country, and stern action has to be taken to ensure these children not only attend school, but receive a proper education and become productive citizens in society.
The minister said, too, the Government is providing free uniforms, text books and other forms of support to students, and all parents and teachers must honour their responsibility to support and educate the children.