Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

This is a specific issue. I want to know what the Minister intends to do in a general sense in terms of absenteeism. The school to which I refer is a second level college under the auspices of the Dublin Vocational Education Committee and the student is doing her junior certificate. The statistics are stark. In 2002, this student came into the college and was absent 90 days in that year. In 2003, she was absent for 121 days and up to Christmas 2004 she was absent for 60 days. That is 271 days out of 334 days she should have been in school, an absentee rate of over 80%. That situation has continued over three years, through first, second and third year.

The student is currently in junior certificate class, when she is present in the school, and should be sitting the examination this year, yet the attendance roll for this girl is appalling. The staff have done everything in their power to try to get the young girl to attend school. It has initiated 21 different interventions. It has contacted the National Educational Welfare Board and I am aware educational welfare officers have done their best, but there has been no success in ensuring this young lady goes to school.

What does the Minister for Education and Science propose to do about this matter? Everybody is totally frustrated and at their wits end. The student is very bright but she does not go to school. That is in breach of all the rules and regulations of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, but that Department does not appear to have an opinion on the matter. The school brought the problem to its attention and gave the whole appalling file to the Minister not long ago, but it has not received a response. What does the Minister intend to do about an appalling situation where a youngster is unable to avail of an education?

The situation regarding the student is dire and one can imagine the impact it has on other students. They might say that this student is not attending school, nobody is doing anything about it and they might as well mitch from school. As a result, the attendance levels in that school are deteriorating because no action is being taken.

We were told the National Educational Welfare Board, which replaced the role of the attendance officers and the Garda, would focus on ensuring that the emphasis would not be on penalising the student but on dealing with the parents. What action has been taken to ensure that the parents of that student will send her to school? I would welcome the Department of Education and Science giving an opinion and letting the school know the action it intends to take, how it can be supportive, whether it intends to fine the parent — under the legislation the parent could be put in jail — or whether it has some plan. The Department is standing idly by.

The 23 vocational schools in Dublin had a meeting recently at which it was revealed that they are all suffering greatly from absenteeism. Last year's statistics from the National Educational Welfare Board show that there was approximately 25% prolonged absenteeism. It was revealed that 20 days in the year, one month's schooling, was the norm in disadvantaged areas. There was a somewhat lower level in middle class areas but the figure was high also.

Students are supposed to be in full-time education up to the age of 16. This youngster is much younger than that and she has not had any decent education for the past three years. I want an answer to this issue and to the whole question of absenteeism, which is fairly rampant throughout many areas of Dublin. I am sure there is a problem in country areas also.

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