A study carried out by the Civil Association with the School determined that student non-attendance in Venezuela ranges between 20% and 50%.
Absence from classes is becoming a serious problem in Venezuela”affirmed the Professor Oscar Iván Rose, coordinator of With the School, who added that in 26 of the 79 schools consulted, students can lose up to half a school year, which affects learning achievement. This problem is more accentuated in public schools since only about 20% have ideal attendance.
“Education is a right and thus the process through which people can acquire knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. Through schools, children and adolescents can develop cognitively, socially, and emotionally by receiving classes, interacting with peers and teachers, and preparing for adult life. But this process cannot be achieved if students do not attend schools.”pointed out the professor Oscar Ivan Rose.
In the recent report by Con la Escuela, it stands out that until January 16, at least fifteen days of classes of the first period of the school year have been lost, due to the late start of the same and due to the culmination of classes a week before the Christmas holiday. Professor Rose notes that “If we take into account that the school calendar has 200 days, 7.5% of it has already been lost. This, coupled with student non-attendance, exacerbates the problem. It is necessary to rescue the importance of the ‘fundamental school act’, as it is to receive classes”.
Presence of repetition
It should be noted that the report with the school reports an increase in school enrollment of 9.5% compared to the 2021-2022 school year, however the training process shows no signs of improvement as shown by the increase in repeat students, 1,681 in total. Most of the repeaters, 57%, are male. These figures indicate a worrying presence of school failure, which occurs after two years in a row with a pandemic, where the number of days without classes was extreme.
This growth in school failure occurs after two consecutive years with a pandemic in which the number of days without classes far exceeded the number of days in which there were classes. “Of every 100 repeat students, 93 correspond to the public sector (93.7%). It is important to remember that this sample of public schools mainly serves the vulnerable population. The fact that a student with these characteristics loses a school year and falls behind can result in an early dropout from school. In Venezuela there are already a million and a half children and young people out of school”.
teacher shortage
Added to the above are the shortage of teachers, the disparity and the drop in the educational offer. 38% of the schools do not have all the teachers they need to meet their enrollment, additionally there was a 39% drop in the number of sections. “When we compare the 6th grade of primary school with the immediately higher grade of secondary school, that is, the first year, there are fewer sections than might be expected in the schools in the sample. All these are problems that have a high impact on the educational process in the country”concluded the Coordinator of With the Oscar School, Iván Rose.
