Control over school attendance has been tightened in Ukraine

You can't skip school anymore: Ukraine has tightened control over attendance

Ukraine has tightened control over school attendance. If a student misses classes without a valid reason, information about this will be promptly reported to the relevant services. This was reported by the National Police.

How the control will work

According to law enforcement officials, schools and relevant services are stepping up their cooperation in monitoring attendance.

In case of prolonged or systematic absence of a child without valid reasons, the information will be transferred for further response.

What is considered a valid reason

Good reasons traditionally include:

• student's illness;

• family circumstances confirmed by parents;

• participation in official events or competitions.

In other cases, absences may be regarded as a breach of the obligation to obtain education.

Context.

In Ukraine, full general secondary education is compulsory by law. Attendance control is part of the state policy to prevent child neglect and violations of the right to education.

The police emphasise that the purpose of the new measures is not to punish, but to respond in a timely manner to possible problems with school attendance.