News | Sunday, 30 November 2008

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Truancy levels highest in Valletta, St Julian’s

James Debono
At least 20% of all students attending primary schools in Valletta and St Julian’s have been absent for one day each month, despite lacking a medical certificate or a valid excuse.
Statistics presented in parliament last week show that between October 2007 and June 2008 nearly two students were absent without any valid reason every day.
With the exception of St Julian’s. the schools with the highest truancy levels all hail from the harbour area.
The same Cospicua primary school, from which none of the students passed their Junior Lyceum exam, has the sixth highest truancy rate with 17% of students taking at least a day of unauthorised absence every month.
On the other hand, Gozitan schools register the lowest levels of truancy. With just 29 students, which makes it the smallest school in Malta, the San Lawrenz primary school has not reported a single unauthorised absence. The Gharb primary school which has 79 students, also registered full attendance.
Yet low truancy rates were also registered among the 833 students attending the Canon G.F. Agius Junior Lyceum and secondary school. The school registered a full attendance rate between October and March, and all 63 unauthorised absences were registered between April and June.
Despite high truancy rates in Valletta and Cospicua, a number of other southern localities like Fgura and Zejtun registered very low truancy figures. Out of the 879 students attending the Zejtun Junior Lyceum, none was absent without permission between October and December 2007.
In most schools, the highest number of absences are reported in June. In the Hamrun Girls’ secondary, 124 out of 636 students were absent for at least a day during June. In the St Julian’s primary 46 out of 138 students also reported a day of unauthorised absence during June.
Combating truancy is presently the task of the School Social Work Service. Parents are only taken to court if they refuse to cooperate with social workers who regularly visit truant children at schools or at home.

jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt

School Number of absent students
(monthly average) %

St Julian’s Primary 30 21.6
Valletta Primary 32 21.5
Cospicua Girls’ Secondary 80 19.2
Marsa Girls’ Secondary 18 19.1
Floriana Boys’ Secondary 23 19
Cospicua Primary 33 16.8
Hamrun Girls’ Secondary 99 15.6

(The figures show the average number of absent students and this is worked as a percentage of the total number of students attending the school)

Schools with full attendance all year round:
Bahrija Primary, Zebbug Primary, Gharb Primary, San Lawrenz Primary

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