In the last 4 years, schoolchildren have missed 97 weeks of classes; we are talking about two and a half years of schooling. The Government is working on an educational reactivation plan, but if children and young people do not attend classes, such plan will have no impact. Evidence shows that students with chronic absenteeism, that is, those who miss more than one month of classes per year, tend to be more likely in the future to have lower salaries, longer periods of unemployment, more job instability and even more likely to fall into delinquency than those students who have regular attendance. Students with chronic absenteeism can also double or even triple their chances of dropping out of school and leaving the system. That’s why we call on families not to waste time, to commit to attendance. The invitation is that we play all the cards at the beginning of the year, because every day counts for the future of our young people.
Rebeca Molina
Executive Director
Fundación Educacional Presente
