Principals will lack support over school truants

SCHOOL principals who report truants will have no back up this September because the welfare officers needed to follow up on extended absences have not yet been recruited or trained.

The new Education Welfare Act, which has now become law, obliges school heads to report aggregate absences of more than 20 days to the Education Welfare Board.

These cases should be followed up by new education welfare officers. But none of the officers are expected to be in place by September, principals say. The Department of Education and Science said the existing 36 truancy officers working within the system at present will be transferred.