KUWAIT CITY, Feb 7: Three days after the start of the second semester, the winds of mass absenteeism blew through the Ministry of Education’s schools at various educational levels, following the announcement by the Civil Service Commission to declare February 8 as an official holiday on the occasion of the “Isra and Mi’raj” (Night Journey and Ascension). In this regard, educational sources explained that the rate of absenteeism varied from one school to another, but was not less than 80 percent. It increased to 90 percent after school administrations contacted the students’ parents to take their children home.

Despite the solutions and measures imposed by the ministry every year to eliminate or reduce this phenomenon such as linking absences to grades and deducting a percentage from the students who are absent without an excuse following the provisions of the absence list, some officials confirmed that implementing the list regarding absences is not a solution. They called for making parents aware of the need to force their children to attend, especially in light of the existence of a study plan and curriculum that requires completion.
By Abdul Rahman Al-Shammari
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff