Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
OUR KIDS FACE BEING LOST GENERATION
Union says thousands of children missing vital education
NORTHERN Ireland’s schoolchildren could be a lost generation as thousands miss vital classes due to Covid pressures.
In just one week in October almost 20,000 pupils were absent.
And with the recent additional week tacked on to half-term, it is feared many will have missed a full month of education in addition to the extended period during lockdown.
NASUWT spokesman Justin Mccamphill said: “This has to be the worst time for
education and school children since World War II.
“Fear, disruption, absent pupils, absent teachers and thousands of families expected to turn on a pin and teach their children at home.
“We know it’s happening in some homes, but it just can’t compare to school and in many homes it’s not happening at all.
“No one knows exactly how many children are home alone these days and the pressure that some families are under is intense.
“Inside schools there are other problems. Education appears to be the one sector that’s open but not subject to inspections.
“Some schools are doing excellent work of social distancing and sanitising. Others do little.”
He added there is not enough transport available to carry the volume of pupils while maintaining social distancing.
Mr Mccamphill said: “We have coach businesses facing ruin with no passengers and we have thousands of schoolchildren jammed on to buses with no room or distance from each other.
“In Lurgan, pupils are two and three to a seat, then social distancing in school.
“We are calling for the Education Minister to get more school coaches and buses on the roads.
“This generation of pupils is struggling now.
“But they will struggle more if, come the summer, we have 20,000 absent during exam time as a result of Covid.”
The Mirror can reveal more than 18,600 pupils did not attend in a week this month due to Covid-19.
Teachers marked Code 8 against their names and although they were absent from class, they were counted as present.
The Department of Education says it is an “Attendance Not Required” code and establishes the absence from class is “not the pupil’s fault that they are required to self-isolate”.
Mr Camphill said: “Code 8 or not, if the child is not in school the alternative just does not compare.”