THOUSANDS OF school days are being lost to junior infants through absenteeism, and the National Education Welfare Board can do nothing about it, an inner city school principal has said.
Labour councillor Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who is also principal of a Dublin inner city school, has said the board should be able to intervene when children under six miss too many school days, but they do not have the power.
The board, set up under the Educational Welfare Act 2000, investigates cases of school absenteeism. But its powers only apply to children over the age of six because there is no statutory requirement for children under that age to receive an education.
Mr Ó Ríordáin said this means teachers, principals and board officers are powerless to intervene in a case of chronic absenteeism from school of a child under six.
“At that most important developmental stage in a child’s education, the infant years, the board has no statutory grounds to intervene in a case of serious absenteeism, which many educators point to as a key indication of child neglect,” he said. “This in my view is tantamount to departmental neglect of children.”
He called for the legislation to be amended to ensure that once a child is enrolled in school, the board can use its powers, regardless of age.
“Such a change would ensure that those in the school community and those charged with the responsibility of monitoring school attendance can make the maximum difference at the earliest opportunity,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the board acknowledged that because children are not required by law to attend school up to the age of six, educational welfare officers cannot take enforcement proceedings to ensure they attend.
But welfare officers can work with the families of children under six to bring about change without resort to the courts, and do provide support and advice to parents of children regardless of age.
“Guidelines prepared by the board for schools on the development of codes of behaviour and attendance strategies are not age-specific – such policies apply to all students regardless of age,” the spokeswoman said.
