The Ministry of Education says it will be taking numerous measures and actions to tackle the issue of growing absenteeism in compulsory education. The 'My Journal' initiative is one of the measures to help address this issue.

Data published by the National Statistics Office some says ago showed that the number of absent days in compulsory education during 2016-2017 totalled 531,729, an increase of 4.6%. The newsroom contacted the Ministry of Education regarding the issue of absenteeism and asked whether the Government would consider re-introducing child supplements for low-income families

The Ministry noted that, as stated in the report published by NSO, state schools have seen a significant improvement in regards to absenteeism. The Ministry has adopted measures and decisions focusing directly on the student's attendance.

The measures included were; better procedures to record attendance, constant interventions from schools to address individual issues, together with the psycho-social team who help those students who regularly skip school.

The Ministry also said that Grade 8 students will now have the opportunity to choose subjects ranging from academic, vocational or applied subjects which shall provide an interesting educational experience for students. The Ministry also said that assistance is being given to those students who have financial problems which are leading them to absenteeism.