THE Department of Education in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) yesterday joined regional partners in the national anti-truancy campaign, which resulted in 40 truants being apprehended and 10 warning letters issued to parents.
The drive, dubbed ’Operation Care’, targeted absentees from New Amsterdam and East Bank Berbice areas, where several students, from Tutorial Academy and Vryman’s Erven Secondary, were nabbed as they made their way to and from the market.
The students claimed they were tasked with preparing several dishes and had gone to buy the ingredients for practical exercises.
But Schools Welfare Officer, Mr. Jainarine Singh, who accosted them, informed that they should have been given proper documentation, by their teachers, to permit them leaving their classes during school hours.
He told the Guyana Chronicle that, at a headteachers meeting a few weeks ago, the educators were reminded that students cannot leave their respective schools without signed letters of permission.
As a consequence of that edict, the truants were taken to New Amsterdam Multilateral School (NAMS), where their teacher from the Practical Education Centre in New Amsterdam, took custody of them.
Meanwhile, at NAMS, a father walked out of an interview with Welfare Consultant, Ms. Yvonne Arthur and Welfare Officer, Mr. Arfa Mohammed, after being apprised of his child’s behaviour.
The man had been informed that the boy was in a group who chose to play cricket in the nearby churchyard rather than attend learning sessions at Vryman’s Erven Secondary School Annex in Trinity Street, New Amsterdam.
The lad and three of his peers were seen playing in the fenced area surrounding All Saints Anglican Church but attempted to flee from the officers who were accompanied by members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
However, the team divided into groups, blocking the two entrances to the churchyard and forced two truants to seek refuge under the church building from where they were arrested by Police ranks.
The father was adamant that his son attends school regularly and stormed out of the conversation with the officials, instructing his wife, who was outside, to go inside if she was interested.
The woman, too, expressed disbelief at what she was hearing but was convinced after the boy’s class teacher attested that he and three others are frequently absent and, whenever the 13-year-olds attend sessions, they would be ill prepared, either without pens or exercise books.
Commenting on what took place, Arthur, who is attached to the Ministry of Education, observed that the campaign has impacted on the lives of the citizenry and is optimistic that school attendance will improve.
She called for public cooperation to report loitering to the Education Department and help curb the habit.