BNCPTA backs ministry push to curb student truancy

The Barbados National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (BNCPTA) on Tuesday pledged to work closely with the Ministry of Education Transformation to stop students from liming on the streets during school hours.

“BNCPTA is ready to work with the Ministry and PTAs on practical solutions: stronger home-school communication, attendance incentives, neighbourhood carpools, and sharing best practices,” association president Nicole Brathwaite said.

Just this week, Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman said he would be crisscrossing the island with his team of education interest groups to tackle this vexing problem.

“No parent wants their child on the street instead of in class. When students miss school, they lose learning, social development, and the safety schools provide,” Brathwaite said.

She argued that parents hold the primary role in getting children to school. “Most do this daily despite real barriers: transport costs, work schedules, caregiving demands, and personal challenges children face. Truancy has many causes,” the BNCPTA leader added.

“We expect the ministry’s approach to be firm and supportive. Monitoring teams help most when paired with school social workers for early intervention with at-risk students and families. These professionals are already stretched – resourcing matters.”

Brathwaite suggested that this demands partnership:

“Parents can help by staying connected: know[ing] attendance policies and keep[ing] contact info updated for quick alerts; acting early: flag transport, uniform, meal, or personal issues with schools before absences become patterns. Community watch: a respectful ‘should you be in school?’ still makes a difference.”.

According to her, truancy isn’t solved by one group alone: “If we – parents, schools, ministry, and community — commit to tackling root causes together, consistently, we protect our children’s future. Let’s do this together.”

(EJ)