More than 25,500 missing from school

An average of 25,500 students have been missing from the school system since the restart of face-to-face classes.

Fayval Williams, the minister of education, in her contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday, said that the number of unaccounted for students ranges from a high of 41,048 between February 14 and April 1, to a low of 25,521 unaccounted for students in the week of February 14-18.

"Using a weekly average of 32,554 unaccounted for students over the period February 14 to April 1 shows that we have been able to re-engage approximately 87,446 of the 120,000 students we had indicated were not accounted for during the pandemic," Williams said.

She said that the Government is committed to finding all the country's students who have been disengaged.

"Our deans of discipline and our guidance officers will specifically redouble their efforts. We also call on all Jamaicans. You know these children in your communities that are not attending school. Call us at 211," Williams said.

She told parliamentarians that school officials will visit homes to understand the issues why the children are not in school.

"Like the shepherd in Matthews 18 verse 12, we, the Ministry of Education and Youth must go to look for even that one that wandered off. We are not willing that any of these little ones should perish," Williams said.