Poor Ash Wednesday attendance at schools

THE poor trend of attendance at the nation’s schools on Ash Wednesday, the day after Carnival, continued with a 28 per cent attendance at primary schools and 20 per cent at secondary schools.

This was in spite of calls by Education Minister Anthony Garcia for parents to send their children to school on Ash Wednesday.

The ministry in a release said, however, since Garcia took office attendance has been improving incrementally.

Garcia thanked the thousands of teachers who went to work and parents who heeded to the call.

Port of Spain Education and Environs District recorded the highest attendance with 33 per cent in the primary schools and 30 per cent in the secondary while the North Eastern district saw the lowest at 19 per cent attendance in primary and 13 per cent in secondary schools.

The ministry said the attendance reports collected by school supervisors yesterday indicated “a marginal increase” in attendance yesterday compared to last year.

At the secondary level the attendance improved from 18.8 per cent in 2017 to 19.7 per cent this year while at the primary level there was an improvement from 25.6 per cent in last year to 28 per cent.

Teachers’ attendance in primary schools was 78 per cent in the primary and 71 per cent in the secondary schools. Teachers attendance at the secondary level ranged from 65 per cent at the lowest in Port of Spain and environs to 80 per cent in the St George East.

At the primary level, teacher attendance varied from 72 per cent in Victoria to 81 per cent in the St Patrick and North Eastern education districts.