Leaflet in 18 languages spreads word about importance of education

A NEW leaflet designed to help parents ensure their children receive a proper education has been printed in 18 languages to reflect the widening diversity of pupils in the country’s schools.

The information from the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) aims at making all parents aware of their legal obligations but also offers practical tips on how to make it easier for children to attend and enjoy school.

The leaflet follows previously published NEWB figures which revealed that the average primary pupil misses 11 days of school each year, rising to 14 days for the average second-level pupil.

The leaflet points out that every child must receive an adequate education up to the age of 16 and the NEWB must be notified by schools when a pupil misses 20 days in any year.

The law applies equally to all children, regardless of their status in Ireland, including almost 10,000 newcomer children in the country’s 4,000 primary and second-level schools whose first language is not English.

As well as English and Irish versions, the board has printed thousands of leaflets in the most commonly used foreign languages, including Polish, French, Latvian, Romanian and Yoruba (spoken by Nigerian families).

For families seeking information in other languages — Albanian, Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Estonian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish and Swedish — copies can be downloaded from the board’s website at www.newb.ie, or ordered from their local school.

There are almost 30 languages being used by children in the country’s schools and further translations can be provided where required. The English and Irish leaflets are being posted to more than 400,000 homes and every school in the country over the next week.

Education Minister Mary Hanafin launched the “Don’t Let Your Child Miss Out!” leaflet at the Central Model Infants School in Dublin’s Marlborough Street yesterday. She was joined by pupils in costumes showing the various career options open to everybody through education and carrying the national flags of 18 countries, representing the translations of the leaflet.

“With increasing numbers of newcomer children in our schools, their parents also need key information about the education system and how important it is that their child benefits fully from it,” Ms Hanafin said.

NEWB chief executive, Eddie Ward, said parents were sometimes unaware of how strongly they influenced the quality of their child’s school experience and learning.

“Where a parent is positively and actively involved in their child’s education, outcomes are better and children’s dreams can become a reality,” he said.

The NEWB’s lo-call information helpline — 1890 36 36 66 — is open from 10am to 4pm daily.