Truancy is one of the most serious blights that affects the well-being of our society. It is identified as an educational, social and juvenile justice issue that calls for immediate action by policymakers if social cohesion is to flourish.

The effects of truancy include behaviour problems in young people, school failure, school dropouts and juvenile delinquency. Every government has the responsibility to address this debilitating phenomenon that in Malta is more prevalent in certain areas than in others. Families who live in the inner harbour area, for instance, are more likely to be affected by truancy.

The statistics tabled by the Education Minister in Parliament revealed the extent of this problem that rarely attracts public attention. The information related mainly to punitive measures that are applied to discourage truancy. A staggering “88 per cent of some 37,000 fines dished out (to parents of children who miss school) by local tribunals since the year 2000 have never been paid”. Put simply, sanctions on their own are not really effective in preventing truancy.

More effective measures are needed to address this problem. The educational authorities have to focus on those programmes, approaches and strategies that have already demonstrated success in other countries. This is the most practical strategy for developing programmes given the current and reasonable focus of policymakers and EU funders on outcomes and cost-benefit analysis.

One critical component of a pragmatic truancy programme is collaboration between different funding and government agencies that involve the community in the planning process for actions aimed at tackling truancy.

Our educational authorities need to involve teachers more deeply in identifying the causes of truancy in particular areas and classes as these are the people who are in constant touch with students who may show inclinations to miss school for unjustified reasons.

Teachers are not there to impart as much knowledge as possible for as long as possible in the classroom. They need time to interact with students on a one-to-one basis. This is often not being done, possibly because it would require more teachers and a new approach to teacher training. It is a sad reality that many young people experience personality disorders at a very young age, disorders that need time and training on the part of teachers to identify and address with the help of psychologists.

Involving families in an effective manner is another critical success factor. Involving parents in truancy programmes is more than simply inviting their attendance at a school meeting.

“True participation means that parents are sought after for their advice, experience and expertise in the community, as clients of our public systems of care and as experts in the lives of their children.” This means engaging parents routinely and not just when their children’s behaviour gets out of hand.

To deal with truancy in an effective way, policymakers also need to adopt a comprehensive approach on prevention and intervention. It is a known fact that young people fail to attend school due to personal, academic, school climate and family related issues. For instance, it is a sobering reality that in the inner harbour area there are more families that need better social support because they suffer from economic and social hardships.

An effective truancy plan will address these issues as soon as they are identified because sanctions on their own will never be enough.