Region Two Dept of Education, rolls out on truancy campaign

Mar 18, 2018 News

“A representative of the Department of Education at a home in Charity. (Photo credited to the Department of Education Region Two.

In a deliberate attempt to minimise and eventually eliminate truancy on the Essequibo Coast, the Region Two Department of Education, has embarked on a truancy campaign.

Truancy over the past year has been an issue on the Essequibo Coast, even engaging the attention of the Regional Administration. Reports filtered to the Regional Democratic Council through its statutory meeting, indicates that quite a number of school children have been lingering at home, when they ought to have been in school.

As was reported at the region’s statutory meetings, children within the Charity community would spend their days labouring in the Charity Market, instead of attending school. As one RDC councillors revealed, this has been an ongoing practice for over the past year. The issue of truancy is also a challenge to remote villages on the Essequibo Coast such as the Onderneeming and Lima Sands Community.

These constant reports have since prompted the Regional Chairman of Region Two, Devenand Ramdatt, to initiating the truancy campaign. According to Ramdatt, the campaign would be a joint operation consisting of the Department of Education, the Guyana Police Force, and Ministry of Social Protection along with key stakeholders for the NDCs and RDC.

The campaign, according to Ramdatt, will be targeting primarily low-income communities, some of which included the Charity, Lima Sands, Lima, Good Hope/Supenaam and Riverstown. Ramdatt further noted that this initiative is aimed at working with vulnerable families, to enhance children’s school attendance.

Kaieteur News understands that visits will be made to specific homes, based on reports from schools and individual living within these communities. As the Department of Education representatives meet with parents’ and guardians, discussions would be facilitated to determine the possible reasons for children not attending school.

The finding from these ground visits would be assessed, and then utilised in aiding the Department of Education’s future approach towards addressing the issue of truancy. [Romario Blair.]

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