Tomas: Parents Should Lose Child Benefit If Child Skips School

       Trebisov, 10 April (TASR) - The Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Ministry is preparing a measure under which parents would lose their child benefit if their child doesn't attend school regularly, and this would also apply to cases in which parents refuse to cooperate with the school on corrective educational measures, stated Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) at an inter-ministerial meeting on the issue of children from marginalised communities that took place in the town of Trebisov (Kosice region) on Friday.
        According to the minister, the measure, under an initiative called 'No School, No Benefits', will have two phases. "For the first three months, if the child doesn't attend school regularly, the child benefit will be paid not to the parent or legal guardian but to a so-called special recipient, which is usually the local authority. But if the situation isn't rectified during these first three months and the truancy continues, the parent will lose the child benefit entirely for the next three months," said Tomas.
        "Simply put - and we all agree on this - a child belongs in school. Only a proper educational process gives a child hope for a better future, and if there's no other way, then this is how it must be," said the minister, emphasising that this requirement has arisen from practical experience and from the requests of school officials and local authorities in the regions in which marginalised communities live. According to him, this isn't about punishing families or children, but about protecting children, who must attend school.
        The planned measure is also supported by Children's Commissioner Jozef Miklosko. "We need to establish clear guidelines to ensure that children actually attend school, because that's in their best interests at this time," he said. He noted that the measures still need to be discussed, but he stressed the need to show both children and parents that "love and boundaries go hand in hand" and to highlight the importance of education.
        Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) has also backed the measure, pointing to the problem of "chronic absenteeism". He stated that the previous government relaxed the rules regarding excused absences and that this led to an increase in missed classes.