Conference to highlight student absenteeism

THE PROCESS of tackling the estimated 84,000 cases where children miss over one month of school per year began yesterday when the National Education Welfare Board held a conference to help schools develop solutions and guidelines to prevent absenteeism.

The board is a statutory body set up to work on school attendance.

"Student absenteeism touches every community, whether geographical or demographic," said Nuala Doherty, director of educational welfare services

Mary Hanafin, Minister for Education, told yesterday's conference: "It has long been recognised that prevention is essential, and strategies designed to promote attendance are an important preventative feature to help improve outcomes for every child."

Supports like intensive literacy and numeracy programmes and breakfast clubs in disadvantaged areas were outlined by Ms Hanafin as offering "variety to young people and encouraging more of them to continue their participation in school".

Ms Doherty said there was no quick fix to improving school attendance. The first step was to ensure that students "have a sense of belonging to school . . . and that they see its relevance to their future".

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times