THE Georgetown Department of Education Schools Welfare Unit on Friday last held an Attendance Award Ceremony for schools within the Georgetown education district at the National Cultural Centre.

In brief remarks, Chief Education Officer Olato Sam stressed the importance of attendance and punctuality in education delivery offering that multiple studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between high attendance and high scores achieved by students.

He stated that while some might question the need for highlighting attendance, it should be noted that attendance is a key indicator of a culture of performance in the education system and has a direct impact on the time a child spends learning.

Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine in his feature address shared some of his own experiences as a child attending school from a very early age. He underlined the importance of reading, urging parents to inculcate in their children the discipline to read more instead of spending too much time watching television.

The Education Minister congratulated the children on their achievement and noted that it took commitment from their parents as well. He also asked the audience, as residents of Georgetown and surrounding areas, to consider the difficulties faced by some children in other parts of the country in attending school.

“Whereas in the city and on most parts of the coast,” the minister stated, “it is simply an issue of jumping in a bus or a car or walking part of the distance on paved roads, in some communities access to a simple canoe to get from home to school is a challenge for many children. In other communities, the journey to school and back is in fact a journey, often taken on foot through tough terrain over significant distances.”

He also outlined challenges to attendance faced by children in the capital as well including crime and climate change. He added that even in school there are other issues to contend with.

“Of course,” noted the Minister, “there are challenges to attendance within the school itself. We have seen some worrying incidents of violence in schools make national headlines and those are the ones that make it to the press. This is the sort of phenomenon that is not only untenable on its own, but which has repercussions for the quality of education a child receives. Then there is of course the issue of suicide among school-aged children, and we have seen in the past year at least three incidents which were related to issues at school.”

Dr. Roopnaraine reiterated that from the perspective of the ministry, education remains a partnership between parents and teachers. He also highlighted the fact that more of a child’s time is spent on average interacting with teachers than with parents.

He outlined measures that the ministry and the government were taking to facilitate better attendance and a more wholesome school experience for children in the school system.

“In closing,” said Dr. Roopnaraine, “even as we acknowledge that we are not at the moment at the best place when it comes to education, we must also celebrate – as we are doing today – the steps we continue to take on the right path towards that destination. Today I commend all of you who observe the most fundamental discipline – that is arriving at school every day and arriving on time.”

Several schools and individual students received plaques as acknowledgement for attendance records of 95 percent and above. The audience was also treated to several cultural performances by students from various schools, including singing, dancing and steelpan recitals.