The head of Cospicua Primary School said today that she disagreed with a suggestion by the Malta Union of Teachers to withhold children’s’ allowance, for parents of truant children.

“This is not the solution. A better way around controlling the social benefit would be to give out vouchers which could only be spent on certain necessities for children,” Marion Falzon Ghio told reporters.

Truancy and problems caused by unfit parents were cast in the national spotlight after Ms Falzon Ghio vented her frustration during a public consultation with Education Minister Evarist Bartolo on Tuesday. She complained, among other things, about how some parents spent their income, including children's allowance, on such things as make-up while children lacked their basic needs.

She said the upcoming revision of the Education Act should include measures to combat truancy and social benefit abuse.

Ms Falzon Ghio called on education authorities to put an end to the “plague of absenteeism and unfit parents”.

Student truancy was thrust into the national spotlight after Ms Falzon Ghio vented her frustration during a public consultation with Education Minister Evarist Bartolo on Tuesday.

Speaking in the school’s administration office, Ms Falzon Ghio called for a network to be set up between educators, legislators and general practitioners. This, she said, could help put an end to abusive doctor’s certificates for children who regularly miss school. She also hoped the revision would see a reinforcement of the penalties dished out to parents who neglect their children.

“We cannot allow this situation, where unfit parents are given fines, which are never paid,” she said.

A teary eyed Ms Falzon Ghio said she had encountered several instances of children whose basic rights to health, food and hygiene were being neglected.

She insisted that this was not unique to Cospicua, but was a problem across the island.