Shania Shayal Prasad 
The Education Ministry has underlined numerous factors that might be contributing to the increase in school truancy across the country.
This includes students not finding classes interesting and teachers not understanding children’s issues and backgrounds.
According to the Substance Abuse and Advisory Council, over 7,000 truancy cases have been recorded in the past five years, while last year alone stood at close to 2000 cases.
Permanent Secretary Selina Kuruleca says there is a need to understand the family background of children.
“We have a lot of children that are staying with relatives, particularly here in the urban areas, so we need to figure out why the family social structure has broken down; there could be other factors, such as people going away for employment.”
Kuruleca says parents play a significant role in ensuring that their children reach school safely and on time.
“Children are leaving home but not getting to school; we need to ask the parents if they can check in on their children and check in at their school. Leaving home and getting to school is a big way.”
According to the data, school truancy is mostly common in urban schools.
The Ministry, along with the relevant authorities, is calling for a unified effort to combat the escalating issue.
They are also urging parents and guardians to remain vigilant about their children’s whereabouts.
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