More staff needed to tackle school absenteeism

THE National Educational Welfare Board is demanding extra staff to help deal with more than 80,000 students who miss at least a month of school every year.

The call comes despite a lack of resources for extra staff in the Government’s spending plans.

Latest figures from the NEWB show that almost one-in-five second-level students - around 37,000 young people - missed more than 20 days in the last school year, the same as in 2003/2004. In the country’s most disadvantaged areas, more than one-third of second-level students are in this situation.

At primary level, 47,000 pupils - one-in-10 - were absent at least 20 days last year, while the proportion in this category in poorer areas is almost one-in-five. Despite these statistics, Education Minister Mary Hanafin has provided the NEWB with an increase of only €300,000 for next year, which will barely cover wage increases for its 94 staff. Instead, the board is seeking to raise its budget from the €8.15 million announced in last week’s Department of Education spending Estimates to more than €14m.

The board says the extra €6m would help the State meet its legal obligation to ensure all children attend school by providing 50 extra staff to help reduce the current burden of 108 cases being handled by each of the agency’s 73 educational welfare officers (EWOs).

NEWB chief executive Eddie Ward said as many as 28,000 children are missing up to 40 days a year of school.

“Absenteeism has serious costs for individuals, for families, for the State and for teachers and schools. There are also significant costs, rarely mentioned, for those students who do attend school regularly,” he said.

Mr Ward said parents of children who are chronic non-attenders experience stress, health costs and absences from work as they try to deal with attendance problems.

NEWB chairwoman Dr Ann Louise Gilligan said the effectiveness of State investment in addressing educational disadvantage can be enhanced through the provision of a comprehensive educational welfare service which integrates the other services which are engaged with young people.

Ms Hanafin has said she prefers to use the ‘carrot’ approach, with initiatives such as breakfast clubs, reduced class sizes in poorer areas and home school community liaison services to encourage young people not to miss school, rather than the ‘stick’ approach of chasing those who miss classes regularly.

Labour Party education spokeswoman Jan O’Sullivan said EWOs have the capacity to intervene with the most vulnerable of young people who are regular truants but are denied resources.

“It is a scandal that there was only a 4% increase in their budget.

“We know that during their early teenage years, regular truants frequently take the first steps in a life of crime, but the Government seems to has no appreciation of preventative measures needed to lead young people on positive paths,” said Ms O’Sullivan.