Forty-four trainee welfare and guidance and counselling officers on Thursday were engaged in a truancy campaign in Charlestown, Georgetown, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
The trainees (34 Schools’ Welfare and 10 Guidance and Counselling officers) visited several homes in and around the community to seek out those children who do not attend school regularly.
Fliers about the importance of education to young persons were distributed and parents were briefed on the importance of sending their children to school on a regular basis.
The officers discovered a few young children under the age of 15 who were not attending school and were taken to the St. Stephen’s Primary School to be investigated. And their parents and guardians were subsequently summoned, GINA said.
Chief Welfare Officer Carol Melville indicated that Charlestown was selected as the Head Teacher of St. Stephen’s Primary School has often reported to the ministry about frequent absenteeism and unpunctuality by students. She said that the training focused on professional ethics, conflict resolution, case work intervention, legal issues and planning and conducting truancy campaigns, among other areas.
The Education Act stipulates that if a parent fails to educate a child, that parent can be placed before the court.
The ministry’s truancy campaign has so far proven to be a success since those parents who were previously taken before the courts are sending their children to school more regularly, GINA added.
