Donegal's post-primary absenteeism from school well above national average

Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) in partnership with Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee, launched a nationwide multimedia campaign to promote regular school attendance in all counties across Ireland.

The data shows that in Donegal, the number of days lost by students at primary level represents 7.1 percent of the total school days in the 2023/24 school year, while at post-primary level it was 15.1 percent days. The national figures for that same year are 8 percent for primary and 11.4 percent for secondary.

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The campaign launch comes as new data from TESS shows that nationally more than one in five children and young people at primary and post-primary level miss more than 20 days of their school year. Children and young people in County Donegal are missing a concerning number of school days each year.

Áine O’Keeffe, Director of TESS, said: “Increasing school attendance is the key function of TESS. We are very excited to launch, together with Minister McEntee, a new national multimedia campaign aimed at raising awareness around the often-underestimated impact of missed school days here and there.

“The campaign aims to raise awareness about how many school days are being missed, and how those missed days can add up quickly over time. Importantly, it also shows parents, guardians, and schools where they can find more information and support to help improve and promote school attendance.”

The latest TESS Annual Attendance Report and Student Absence Report for the 2023/2024 school year, published on the Tusla website, also show that while absenteeism remains high, total days lost and chronic absenteeism have both fallen for the second consecutive year. Minister McEntee said that while the reduction in the total number of days lost was positive, the level of absenteeism in schools remained far too high.