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James Debono
During last November, no less than 52 per centof all students attending government secondary schools were absent for at least for one day without any valid reason.
A total of 9,272 secondary school students attending area secondary and junior lyceums missed at least a day of school in the same month. The absence of these students was neither covered by a sickness certificate nor by permission by their school.
And during the first three months of the scholastic year 42,122 students in Malta and Gozo missed at least a day of school without any justification.
The statistics, recently released in Parliament by Education Minister Louis Galea, are paying witness to the high truancy alert apparent in Maltese schools.
In government primary schools 25 per cent of all students missed at least one day without any valid reason in November. In the same month only 3.4 per cent of students attending church schools and 3.9 per cent attending independent schools missed at least a day of school without any valid reason.
The high levels of truancy appear to have been countered with a total of 4,009 parents arraigned in court in 2004 for not sending their children to school. According to statistics by the National Office of Statistics for the years 2001 and 2002, the Southern Harbour district has the largest problem of absenteeism. The localities with the largest problem of absenteeism at the primary level are Valletta and Marsa. Contacted by MaltaToday, educator Frank Fabri remarked that these statistics are alarming and show that students are “voting with their feet”.
According to Fabri “schools are not attractive for a number of students who are not seeing any utility in attending school.” In order to reduce absenteeism, “schools should reflect current and future technological and should and should not be isolated from the ‘fast pace’ of modern life.”
In January, Minister Louis Galea appointed a task force to review the phenomenon of school absenteeism, with the ultimate aim of improving attendance. Psychologist and university lecturer Marilyn Clark is chairing the so-called School Attendance Improvement Task Force.
Galea was also reported as saying that he was not satisfied with the medical certification situation, adding that a proper system needed to be set up to curb any abuse.
Interestingly, during the month of November, students attending secondary government schools also tended to contract sickness more than other students. While 14.35 per cent of students attending government secondary schools presented certificates to justify their absence, only 8.3 per cent of those attending church schools did so. Students attending independent schools also tended to contract sickness more than their counterparts attending church schools.
A total of 72.8 per cent attending government secondary schools missed at least a day of school in November due to sickness, valid excuses or for no valid reason at all. Only 32.1 per cent of those attending church schools missed at least a day of school.
Recently parliament approved an amendment to the Education Act obliging students who are given permission to leave school early, before 16 years of age, to follow an educational programme.
jamesd@newsworksltd.com
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