Truancy officers to resume duties by year-end
However, in their absence, nothing is being done about the hundreds of children who are still failing to turn up in classes around the country every morning.
General secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) John Carr said it was vulnerable children who were being punished by the delays. A sample study of four Dublin primary schools in disadvantaged areas shows as many as half their pupils are missing more than 15 days every year.
“Poor attendees score lower, particularly in literacy, than other pupils, and attendance is an issue that often affects schools in disadvantaged areas,” Mr Carr said. “The board has told schools that it will not be possible to follow up on reports of absences. There is no back up for schools. Local gardaí used to have a role to play in school attendance but now have nothing to do with it.”
He added that it is unfair and unrealistic to ask teachers to implement a law when there is no infrastructure in place to support it.
The recent resolution of an industrial dispute between the Education Welfare Board (EWB) and 36 former school attendance officers has cleared the way for their appointment as Education Welfare Officers (EWOs) in Dublin, Cork and Waterford, and the recruitment of dozens more staff.
EWB chief executive Eddie Ward which said 40 to 50 more officers should be trained and working by the end of the year.
“We will appoint them in the most needy areas first and then put them into other parts of the country on a phased basis from next year,” he said.
Ultimately, around 350 EWOs will be required.
Since the Education (Welfare) Act came into effect last summer, principals are required to report cases where a child misses more than 20 days in a year, is suspended for more than six days, or is expelled. So far, however, no action has been taken on their reports.
