Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon has again called for communities across Jamaica to play a stronger role in tackling student absenteeism, warning that the long-standing problem continues to undermine efforts to improve learning outcomes in schools.

Speaking during Friday’s sitting of Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee — the second day of hearings examining the Estimates of Expenditure — Morris Dixon said poor attendance remains a persistent issue across the education system, even in areas traditionally seen as performing better.

“Absenteeism is a problem across the system. It is not just in the West that we’re seeing it; we’re seeing it in Kingston. I’ve been looking at those numbers quite a bit. [and] even Region 1, which is Kingston and St Andrew, I only have 82 per cent consistent attendance at school. That is not acceptable at all,” she told the committee.

The minister was responding to questions from Opposition spokesman on education Damion Crawford as legislators reviewed the spending plans for the Ministry of Education and Youth for the upcoming financial year.

Morris Dixon said the issue goes beyond occasional absences and reflects a wider pattern of irregular attendance, where some students attend school sporadically throughout the week.

“And when I say absenteeism, what we’re looking at is poor attendance. So you come today, don’t come tomorrow. And so it is a problem we are facing in this country,” she said.

The minister estimated that the national absenteeism rate currently stands at roughly 15 per cent, indicating that a significant share of students are not consistently attending school.

While schools have been stepping up efforts to track missing students, Morris Dixon stressed that solving the problem requires wider support from families and communities, not just educators.

She said teachers and administrators have been actively going into neighbourhoods to locate children who have fallen out of the classroom, but warned that communities must not enable the problem by ignoring children who should be in school during the day.

Morris Dixon added that everyday situations such as seeing school-aged children outside during school hours should prompt intervention from adults.

“I want to thank the schools for what they’re doing and going out in the communities and finding these children, but the communities cannot hide them, we have to send our children to school. You can’t see a child in the middle of the day in a fast food establishment and not say something to them,” she said, urging Jamaicans to help reinforce the culture of school attendance.

The minister also pointed to regional disparities, noting that some of the areas hardest-hit by Hurricane Melissa are still struggling with attendance levels.

She told the committee that Region 4 has an attendance of about 66 per cent, while Region 6 is roughly 65 per cent; figures that highlight the challenge of ensuring children return consistently to school after disruptions.

Absenteeism has been a recurring concern in Jamaica’s education system for years, often linked to factors such as transportation challenges, household economic pressures, and weak parental supervision. Education officials have repeatedly warned that irregular attendance significantly affects academic performance and increases the risk of students eventually dropping out of school.

Morris Dixon said addressing the issue will require continued partnership involving schools, parents and communities if the country is to ensure that children remain engaged in the classroom.