THERE HAS been an increase again this year in the number of prosecutions made against parents who fail to ensure their children attend school.
By the end of November, 91 summonses for non-attendance had been issued by the National Educational Welfare Board – 10 more than in all of last year.
The prosecutions refer to 61 children. The board said prosecution was a last resort in cases where no progress was made with the family.
The legal process begins with a school attendance notice, issued to the parents. So far in 2010, 379 of these notices have been issued in respect of 248 children.
To date, the board has issued 1,538 of these notices and of the 312 that proceeded to prosecution, 70 have resulted in conviction and 130 are still before the courts. The remainder were struck out, dismissed or withdrawn.
Michael Doyle, National Educational Welfare Board regional manager for north Leinster, said the increase in prosecutions had more to do with the board’s efficiency and effectiveness in dealing with cases than a rise in truancy.
The board is rolling out a new scheme which will see cases tracked more closely in a shorter time frame and will involve greater engagement with parents, students, schools and relevant agencies.
Mr Doyle said some parents refused to engage with the board, hoping the problem would simply go away. Reasons for non-engagement may include negative experience with other State agencies, fear of feeling victimised, psychiatric, psychological or addictive issues or a failure to place a high priority on education, he added.
Judges at a number of district courts have in the last week emphasised that parents must value their child’s schooling.
At Mullingar District Court Judge Eamon O’Brien described as “disgraceful and outrageous” the failure of one mother whose 15-year-old daughter had never attended secondary school.
“None of us came from perfect families, but we all had to go to school,” he said, adjourning the case to see what progress could be made.
He echoed the sentiments of Judge Gerard Haughton in Tullamore, Co Offaly, last Wednesday who heard of another 15-year-old girl who was present for only 16 days since the beginning of the 2007 school year and only one day since 2008.
The court heard her parents had failed to engage with the board. However, their solicitor said they wanted her to go to school, but she hadn’t because of difficulties with students and teachers.
This had been impossible to investigate because she had spent so little time there. Adjourning the case, Judge Haughton described the situation as “indefensible” and “probably the most serious school attendance matter I’ve heard”.
“Education has become more and more and more essential as we go deeper and deeper into the difficulties this country faces,” he said.