Leon Suseran

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Regional Education Officer of Region Six, Shafiran Bhajan, has lauded the truancy campaigns over the past school year.According to Bhajan, in the past, Welfare Officers would go to the Upper Corentyne areas, as well as in New Amsterdam, and pick up between 55-75 children on the streets. She said that number dropped significantly over the past months.“It shows then that they have the message out there… and we have more children in school,”she noted. She linked the increased attendance to the National School Feeding Programme and the Uniform Voucher distribution as well which are “helping children to remain in schools, but still, there are many people out there who still need to be educated about the programme in school where their child can benefit”.Region 6 Education Officer Shafiran BhajanThe official revealed that were more Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings in the schools during the last school year. She stressed that through education, children can be offered a different kind of life.“They pass their exams. They go onto high school, UG…” she noted.There were also community meetings that were held in the Black Bush area, where parents discussed varying matters. More meetings and home visits are planned for the next school year, which commences on September 5.Bhajan suggested that education officers can accompany the Headteachers and subject teachers to target those parents who do not attend PTA meetings.“Teachers’ home visits is something that’s expected; it used to be a norm”, the official reflected.“For the year, five visits can be done, and every child would have been visited by the end of the school year. Or you can use other methods; like if you meet them in the market or if you ask the child…you can use various strategies to get to meet them on a one-on-one basis.”Parent Conferences were also held throughout the past year and this national drive is set to continue in the upcoming school term. She said that every term, the parents have to visit the school and “every school has to do it and we have to send a report to the Ministry”.Bhajan noted that 52 out of 55 primary schools completed the conferences last term. They bore fruit in ways such as improved attendance, as well as children returning to school as a result of home visits. Headteachers were trained by the government to execute these parent conferences.At the fora, held every school term, parents were told about the strengths of their children as well as how they are performing in the various subjects.The Ministry has noted the reduction of parents’ attendance at PTA meetings and has been devising newer ways to get parents to make their presence felt at the school their children attend. (Leon Suseran)