Truants “Are Aided And Abetted By Parents”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29638, 7 October 1961, Page 13

Truants “Are Aided And Abetted By Parents”

Secondary schools had no facility in dealing with truancy, the headmaster of the Christchurch West High School (Mr R. T. Richards) told a meeting of the board of governors of the school last evening. Many parents held in contempt the law which said that a child must attend school until he or she was 15 years old, and aided and abetted their children. Everything in the way of truancy was dealt with by the Canterbury Education Board which had no truancy officer. “In these days of soft-pedalling he is called an attendance officer, but he should be called a truant officer. Boards get frightened by these terms,” he said. The Canterbury Education Board did not even have an attendance officer, Mr Richards said. “If the matter is urgent and gets near prosecution it is taken up by the secretary-manager, Mr W. P. Spencer.” Mr Richards said that three notices were sent to parents of children truant from school. “But there may be spaces between the notices and it may be three, four, or even six weeks before the child comes back.” he said. He said that action should be taken against parents for the time the child was away from school, and he suggested that the stopping of the child allowance for the time of illegal absence would be the answer. “There is a lady who calls

herself a visiting teacher. It is not in her province to deal with truants, but she does so.” said Mr Richards. Mr Richards said that he could keep the child in to make up the number of periods he had missed. That punished the child up to a point, but he did not see what could be done about the parents. The chairman (Mr H. R. Peers) said that the secretary could look at the act. and would probably find that the board could take some action.

“It seems to me that those children who do want to leave the school should be allowed to get out,” said Mr D. L. Waghorn, the Canterbury Education Board’s representative on the board.

Mr Richards agreed, and said that only ab”t six in a school of 800 gave trouble, but they caused a lot of trouble.

Mr Waghorn asked whether it was a matter that could be taken up by the Christchurch Post-primary Schools’ Council.

“I suggest we do not cross our bridges until we come to them. I do not think that the secretary of the Postprimary Schools’ Council will have any more success than your own secretary.” said Mr P. J. Halligan, who is secretary both of the council and the board.