The Editor, Sir:

I was reading one of my weekly newsletters on New York City Affairs and I came across an article which spoke to the issue of chronic absenteeism in schools.

I am aware of the fact that Jamaica also suffers from this problem, especially in the rural areas and in some low-income communities. This is especially true of children in the elementary schools, which have been largely overlooked because the children are seen as very young and might not be missing much if they are absent. I thought I would share some of this information along with some thoughts of my own with the Jamaican public for consideration.

According to the article, absenteeism has long-term implications for the success of children in elementary schools as most of the problems in older years tend to result from problems at home. It also pointed out that chronic early absenteeism at times is a signal of much more serious problems in a family, such as domestic violence, child abuse, mental illness and involvement of the criminal justice system. Addressing these issues directly may not only improve school success in the long run but strengthen families, ultimately improving the quality of children's lives and, by extension, society.

It is my belief that the role of schools, starting with basic school, should be enhanced by the placement of trained social workers who would be able not only to monitor absenteeism but identify families that are struggling with poverty, health issues, other high-risk social factors, as well as conducting home visits in order to connect families to needed services so that basic needs can be met.

Although I know that individual schools can be innovative and creative in finding solutions to the problem of absenteeism (even with limited resources) the ball is in the court of the Ministry of Education to devise strategies to target the families and ultimately the schools with the greatest need, implement structures to support practical assessment of the problem, which should be followed by effective working partnership between principals and community-based organisations.

I am, etc.,

MAVIS M. FERGUSON

nosugref2003@yahoo.com