children are out in the streets instead of in school preparing themselves to earn a living. It turns out that the Department of Education has not known for several years whether or not the students are in school. The major excuse for the failure to count is that catch-all of the mid-1990s..."It's the computer's fault.'' Part of the excuse is problems with the computer link between public schools and the main computer to collect such data. This appears to have been going on for several years.

Is the Department of Education in the real world? We are told that the Education Department is "very concerned about non-attendance''. Kids are kids. If they can get away with hanging out instead of going to school, they will do so. Surely the Department of Education knows that. If they get away with it once, they will try it often.

We all know that far too many students these days are not too good at counting but we had expected that teachers could count full seats and empty seats. We are told that schools are "very lax'' in recording reasons for absenteeism.

What happened to the days when a parent had to provide an excuse for absence.

We accept that there is no truancy officer and that one such officer cannot be effective. Having counsellors to work with parents on the problem is as it should be. However, it has not been a big success and when you are not getting anywhere you have to take other action.

Not having a truancy officer does not excuse the Department for not even knowing the figures. If you do not count students as being absent you cannot do much about their not being in school. In an era of sex and drugs it is important that students not be endangered by being allowed to run wild in the streets.

Bermuda has a Department of Education which is recognised as being very top heavy. Surely someone at the Department can check on the number of absent children. Just going drifting along with an inefficient computer system and doing nothing constructive is to fail the children. These children are being badly served by the system and then we will wonder why they are in trouble.

It's not the computer that needs fixing, it's the Department of Education. Can you imagine how a Department which cannot count absent students is going to manage a new mega school? What we have for truancy is a great many rather unsatisfactory excuses. What we need is some action. When counselling does not work it is time to use the laws we have. Charge parents with failing to send their children to school.

That will, at the least, get their attention. Education is far too important for Bermuda to just turn a blind eye to truancy.