Absenteeism is a major contributor to low performance levels in primary schools. In an attempt to determine why children are not attending school, the Ministry of Education asked Professor Zellynne Jennings Craig and her team from the UWI's School of Education to identify the root causes of absenteeism and develop intervention strategies to address these causes.

The UWI team selected 100 primary schools with average attendance below 85 per cent from across Jamaica for this study. The research team collected information on the schools, like attendance records, spoke with the teachers, children and their parents and examined the profile of the community where the low attendance was experienced.

The team also designed training programmes and workshops for the schools and the community-based organisations to mobilise the community towards solving the problem on a continuous and sustainable basis. Finally, the researchers looked at the impact of the schools' lunch programme on attendance.

Root causes

In analysing the root causes of absenteeism, the team found that the main causes were socio-economic factors such as unemployment, low literacy levels among parents and other members of the community, the use of child labour and low value attached to education. The communities in which the schools are located are low income and often deep rural with families who are subsistence farmers. On account of bad roads, some of the schools are difficult to access, and especially so during bad weather.

The parents are oftentimes young and appear to be unable to exercise control over the children. In many instances, the money given to the parents through government programmes is not used to send the children to school, but is spent otherwise. Some areas of use of the funds include expensive hairdos and the purchase of designer clothing.

Intervention strategies

From the UWI-designed workshops aimed at mobilising the communities, several intervention strategies were developed for intervention by the schools working with the Community Development Officers attached to the Social Development Commission. Most are agriculture-based: rabbit and pig rearing, growing of vegetables and root crops and bee keeping. These programmes provide food for the schools' feeding programmes.

Where the incidence of praedial larceny is high, the schools have implemented tuck shops, sewing school uniforms, music programmes and integrated the use of computers into the curriculum. The provision of Internet access and photocopying facilities for members of the more isolated communities will help to generate funds to sustain the feeding programme.

To counter Friday absenteeism, which is alarmingly high in many of these schools, the UWI team recommended enrichment activities such as computer-based literacy programmes.

The Ministry of Education has provided seed funds of approximately $200,000 for the purchase of items such as hardware for building chicken coops, chickens, rabbits, pigs, school garden tools and computers.

Professor Jennings Craig said that as part of the UWI's mission to engage in research and developmental activities that support the social and economic development of the nation, the UWI School of Education team would continue to monitor and review the strategies, which could be redesigned as necessary.