Charge parents!

Holness wants action against persons who keep kids from school

BY LUKE DOUGLAS Observer writer editorial@jamaicaobserver.com

Thursday, September 02, 2010

EDUCATION Minister Andrew Holness is advocating for parents who refuse to send their children to school to be arrested and charged.

Holness, who was speaking yesterday at a press conference at his ministry to address back-to-school issues, he said poverty would no longer be accepted as a reason for a child not to attend school, and that adults in charge could face penalties under the Education Act or the Child Care and Protection Act for their children's absence.

He called on parents with financial challenges to contact the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) or seek assistance from political representatives, principals, guidance counsellors or ministers of religion.

"If your household does not have the economic resources to send the children to school on a regular basis, that in itself is not an excuse. Your duty as a parent is to reach out. I could only forgive you if you tried and the system does not respond," Holness said.

PATH is a conditional cash transfer programme funded by the Government and the World Bank, aimed at benefiting the most needy and vulnerable in the society.

Average attendance in school is approximately 80 per cent, which the education minister said is not acceptable.

At the same time, Holness said he was considering having certain areas declared compulsory attendance zones under the Education Act. He said there are penalties in place for truancy under the law. "We intend to enforce those," he said.

The minister acknowledged, however, that violence was a major reason for non-attendance in schools, particularly in urban inner-city communities, and he appealled to the police "to take the necessary action to defend our schools against criminals".

On the question of auxiliary contributions by parents, Holness said he continued to receive reports of schools setting these contributions out the reach of some students, and of schools discriminating against such students.

"Those schools are in breach of the ministry's policy," he said, noting that board chairmen and principals could face disciplinary actions as a result. Legislation to protect students against such discrimination or exclusion from education was being considered, he said.

Meanwhile, the minister said he was "hoping and praying" for a smooth start to the school year which officially begins on, Monday, September 6. Localised problems, he said, could be resolved by the ministry's regional offices.

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