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Schools’ welfare department to take 14 more parents to court

May 18, 2010 News

The Schools’ Welfare Department will be taking 14 parents from Mosquito Hall, Riverview, Unity and Lancaster, in Mahaica, Region Four, to court for abandoning the responsibility to educate their children.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Education, the Department last month had taken 17 parents in the Upper Corentyne area, Region Six, to court for the same offence. These parents were ordered by the Magistrate to ensure that their children attend school within a two mile radius of the community they reside.
The department, in a campaign conducted in the Mahaica area last Friday, apprehended 38 truants. According to National Truancy Campaign Co-ordinator, Yvonne Arthur, among the lot were three cases of children who never attended school and another of child labour.
She also said that there was one report of a child who was allegedly burned with “hot oil” by a relative. That matter, Arthur said, is in the hands of the police.
The National Truancy Campaign Co-ordinator said that the employer of the child will also be placed before the courts and the parents of the children who never attended school were counselled on the importance of educating their children.
They were also issued warning letters and letters to visit the Placement Unit in the region to obtain a school for their child.
The parents of students who did not attend school for a considerable period of time also received similar attention.
According to the statement too, Arthur has underlined that her officers will be following-up these matters and will closely monitor these students’ attendance as well as their performance in the classroom.
She noted that some of the truants will be referred to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s Probation, Child Care and Social Security Departments for assistance.
Arthur also called on Head Teachers to make available to the School’s Welfare Department the names of students who regularly absent themselves from school.
She stressed that a child can still be enrolled at a school even though the latter does not have a birth certificate.
The former Chief Schools’ Welfare Officer explained that while the child is in school, the parent can be advised by a Schools’ Welfare Officer on the way forward to acquire the legal document.
The Truancy Campaign Co-ordinator was able to locate most of the truants from a list supplied by her officers and managed to apprehend a few other through the assistance of members in the communities in which the campaign was held.
Education Minister Shaik Baksh had earlier announced that his Ministry will take a tougher stance 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, that the Government is providing free uniform, text books and other forms of support to students and all parents and teachers must honour their responsibility to support and educate these children.

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