He told the Chronicle he will be discussing shortly with officers of the ministry what other action to take in relation to the Essequibo incident.

The Police have been investigating the disappearance of the three, Chelesea Jagdeo, 14, of Hampton Court, Mariel Williams, 17, of Queenstown, and Malinie Naipaul, 14, of Better Hope, all Essequibo villages.

The students of the Anna Regina Multilateral School were found at Bella Vista village just across the border in Venezuela and were returned by boat to Charity, on the Essequibo Coast, about a week after they went missing late last month.

They were questioned at length about their disappearance by Police at Charity and released into the custody of their parents.

Relatives said they were missing after they left the school during a Monday morning session and travelled to Charity.

Ally said the ministry would be looking into the incident, adding that an intensified anti-truancy programme is being prepared for the entire country and will be put into operation soon.

He said the campaign that began during the latter part of last year impacted positively on society and there is already evidence which shows improved attendance at schools.

He is also heartened by the support from other agencies like the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, the Police and the City Council, and parents and the general public, adding that the campaign has turned out to be more of a collaborative effort.

Ally said that unlike in the past, a pro-active approach to truancy is being pursued and in this regard some new measures will be introduced during this year.

One step has already been implemented with the appointment of a Schools Welfare Officer in each administrative region, whose responsibility is to coordinate welfare programmes within their regions.

In addition, the ministry is considering appointing a teacher in every school to be responsible for welfare matters, he said.

However, Ally is insisting that parents/guardians need to play a more active role in and out of school in monitoring their children's movements. In this regard, he stressed the importance of parents/guardians regularly visiting the schools their children attend to acquaint themselves with the discipline and welfare problems that may exist.

He added that many parents these days exhibit great laxity in relation to their children's school life.

The Permanent Secretary also feels that schools need to implement tighter systems of accountability so that the whereabouts of students can be properly monitored and accounted for during school hours.

At a meeting yesterday with Regional Education Officers, he said he emphasised the importance and relevance of implementing rigid monitoring of student movements, citing the recent incident involving the Essequibo schoolgirls.

Essequibians have urged the Home Affairs Ministry to take action against those allegedly responsible for the disappearance of the girls for almost a week.

Most Essequibians were happy that the schoolgirls were found unharmed but are concerned about their disappearance for so long. (CHAMANLALL NAIPAUL)