Vol. 441 No. 5
17 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Education the causes and extent of the problem of truancy; the number of children involved in truancy with particular reference to the Dublin area; if overlarge classes, substandard school accommodation and inadequate numbers of home/school liaison teachers exacerbate the problem; and the measures, if any, she is taking in response of this social problem.
53 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to a recent report which indicated that 30,000 pupils are absent from primary schools every day; and the plans, if any, she has to deal with the growing problem of truancy at this level.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 53 together.
I hope the House will bear with me if my reply is rather lengthy — this is the first opportunity I have had to refer in the House to the report on truancy.
A working group in my Department has presented me with the "School Attendance/Truancy Report" which I published on 8 April 1994. I ensured that copies of the report were provided to the Dáil Library and will be happy to make further copies available to the Members of the House.
School attendance figures quoted in the report for children aged six to 15 in Dublin city for the school year 1992-93 indicate an average non-attendance rate of 7 per cent. This is in line with the equivalent national rate which has been estimated at approximately 30,000 pupils per day. The data available is for school attendance in total and does not differentiate between the varying causes of absence from school.
The report notes that there is a tendency among commentators to categorise all non-attendance problems as truancy, a term which fails to acknowledge the complex nature of non-attendance problems and the possible underlying causes. The more serious form of non-attendance which we term truancy involves premeditated action on the part of pupils in absenting themselves from school for casual or extended periods.
The report accepts that truancy ultimately may be linked to problems relating to family, peer pressure, juvenile crime or school-related difficulties. The unanimous view emerging from the working group's discussions with relevant agencies and interest groups is that in the vast majority of cases, serious non-attendance is linked to disadvantage. The experience of school attendance officers is that the problem of truancy or persistent non-attendance at school is concentrated in areas of economic and social disadvantage where families are experiencing complex and difficult problems, often centred on issues of poverty and relationships. There is no evidence to suggest that class size or the quality of school accommodation exacerbates the problem.
The report acknowledges that home/school community liaison teachers may intervene with and support families where the children's school attendance is a problem. In recognition of the value of this scheme in enhancing educational participation of young people, I have in the current school year placed this scheme, which had been operating on a pilot basis since 1990, on a formal footing within the educational system.
I have also taken a number of initiatives to target areas of disadvantage and the report acknowledges that additional teachers and resources allocated to schools in disadvantaged areas has assisted them in meeting the needs of socially disadvantaged children. I also believe that a school psychological service can play an important role in this area and I recently announced the appointment of an additional ten psychologists as part of the phased implementation of a national psychological service for primary schools.
The report provides a basis on which I can frame new legislation and develop new structures and procedures to reflect modern thinking on social, cultural and educational issues. The issues raised in the report are complex and are of fundamental concern to all those concerned with the education and the welfare of children and I know that Deputies will read the report with interest. I am anxious to tap the knowledge and expertise of all relevant interests in developing my proposals on school attendance and to this end I am making the report widely available and encouraging all interested groups to submit their considered views on the report's contents to my Department.
Will the Minister agree that the extent of the problem, particularly in Dublin city, is totally unacceptable? While the average of 7 per cent is unacceptable, it should be remembered that the percentage of children on the streets in disadvantaged areas is much greater. While the Minister indicated that truancy is concentrated in disadvantaged areas will she agree that the recently appointed schools attendance officers appointed in Dublin face an impossible task because of years of neglect? Will she also agree that most of the children not attending school but remaining on the inner city streets and other areas of the city will not be reached but will become the victims of crime, drugs and other forms of abuse? Does the Minister accept that the only way in which to respond to a massive social problem — I observe it on the streets even driving to this House at 10 o'clock in the morning, when I see young children who should be at school out on the streets in my constituency — is through the provision of adequate numbers of home-school-community liaison teachers, child care workers and to the INTO survey of schools which they consider to be seriously substandard? Many schools in my constituency are badly affected, they have not had school attendance officers and a huge number of children are not attending——
The Deputy is considerably extending his question.
The schools are in a dreadful condition which, while perhaps not exacerbating the problem, certainly does not help its resolution and acts as a serious disincentive to such children to attend school?
I agree with Deputy Gregory. My office is in Marlborough Street and if I walk on O'Connell Street I meet children who should be at school. I fully realise they are my responsibility and I welcome the availability of this report. I have taken measures to alleviate disadvantage. Although this report said there is no specific evidence to demonstrate that school buildings exacerbate the problem, it does not take from the fact that we need to invest in the primary schools' building programme, which I am doing. I welcome the appointment by Dublin Corporation of school attendance officers within the past week. In addition to my programme to combat disadvantage it is suggested in the "School Attendance/Truancy Report" that legislation should be introduced, the provisions of which would recognise the real social problems.
Is the Minister committed to equality of educational advantage? If so, surely she agrees there is a need not merely to talk about or give commitments to it — one might almost say devote lip service to — but to concentrate on home-school-community liaison teachers, child care workers and additional staffing in the schools most directly affected in disadvantaged areas, many of which ask the Minister continuously to retain staff members so that they will not lose already inadequate staffing numbers? Surely there is a need to re-examine and concentrate on such schools, providing them with the resources and staff they so badly need?
I do not merely pay lip service to such problems; I ask the Deputy to withdraw that accusation. Indeed I have a record which has drawn criticism from other sections of the House of over concentrating on disadvantage. Therefore, it is fair to outline areas to which I allocated resources, which have not been readily available to this Government, to be channelled towards education, now being specifically targeted at disadvantaged areas, including the announcement of the 15 new home-school-community liaison teachers, extension of the designation of disadvantaged schools under which an additional 50 schools will be so classified and the capital programme which sets out a clear scale of priorities. There was a programme of action last year and another is under way this year. There has been a reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio, the appointment of 100 additional remedial teachers and a disadvantage fund increased by 40 per cent. I will continue to be very proud of the record of this Government in that we are prepared to take disadvantaged areas and target resources at them so that we can cherish all the children of this nation equally.
How many prosecutions were there last year under the existing school attendance legislation? Furthermore, will the Minister agree that the School Attendance Act, 1926, is hopelessly outdated in terms of the penalties it provides and in its powers generally? They deal merely with the areas defined at that time whereas there are now huge, sprawling suburbs of this city with unemployment of frightening proportions and social problems. There are no recreational facilities and, as Deputy Gregory rightly said, many "Fagins" are bred on the streets simply because there is no follow-up of school attendance.
I do not know how many prosecutions there were in the past year but I will ascertain the figure and convey it to the Deputy. There is recognition that the school attendance legislation is totally outdated. That is why I welcome the presentation of this School Attendance Truancy report, not only its recognition of the fact that there are different types of school absences but, with specific regard to truancy, that the areas of greatest disadvantage are also those that appear to suffer most. There is also in the report a suggestion of where legislative changes are needed. I assure the House that I will be introducing legislation, allowing me to put through a legislative programme to protect the children who are our responsibility.
Has the Minister a timescale for the introduction of new legislation? What is her view of the role of the Garda in relation to school attendance? For example, does she consider it appropriate that the Garda, however well meaning they may be, should undertake that role? Will she accommodate those areas that should have a school attendance officer — where none has been appointed to date — and where the Garda must fulfil this role?
I expect to introduce interesting amending legislation if not this year, certainly next year which will be warranted arising out of the White Paper on Education. The Deputy may be referring to areas of mutual constituency interest at present excluded from the provision of a schools attendance officer. Nonetheless, it is possible for the local authority concerned to request my Department to extend the remit in that neither the Garda nor my Department consider that the role they are expected to fulfil at present is one that meets the social problems resulting in truancy on the part of the children involved. In this respect I would welcome Deputy Keogh's response to the "School Attendance/Truancy Report". I should be glad also if those who have been dealing piecemeal with this outdated legislation would avail of my invitation to respond to this report, which will form part of the legislative review and amending legislation I will be introducing.
